


To Thine Own Self Be True (A Pokémon AU)

by EyesOfEnigma



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Breaking cycles of abuse, Character Development, Dealing With Trauma, Emotional Abuse, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hurt & Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, MC is a bamf, MC is my OC, Mental Abuse, Mental Illness, No Smut, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Physical Abuse, Planned fic, Platonic Love, Pokemon, Pokemon AU, Pokemon Battles, Ray Route After Ending, Ray Route Good Ending, Ray route, Romance, Sibling Love, Swearing, Symbolism, Trauma, and found family, but also so much friendship, confronting abusers, deeply in love, long fic, mentions of abuse, seriously guys this is the length of a novel buckle up, so many feels, takes place in Pokémon Korea? I guess, this is Rika we’re talking about so what do you expect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 78,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29706981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EyesOfEnigma/pseuds/EyesOfEnigma
Summary: Hayun, a young, retired trainer who now assists her father with the family Pokémon nursery-daycare business, clears the filtering process to help the privately funded think tank company Mint Eye. They claim that they wish to use their advanced AI software to improve and customize conditions within Pokéballs, but as Hayun grows closer to the head programmer, Ray, the company’s true intentions begin to unravel. Ever one to rise to a challenge, she commits every ounce of her fighter’s spirit to freeing her new friend from the tangled threads of Team Magenta.
Relationships: Choi Saeran/Main Character, Choi Saeran/Original Character(s), Choi Saeran/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…this is basically a retelling of Ray’s Route all the way through to the After Ending, except set in the Pokémon world! Before you begin, I want to make a few things clear.
> 
> Firstly, good chunks of this story follow the game very closely, including portions of the dialogue. However, some things are changed, details are added, and I tried to make character arcs a bit more distinct.
> 
> Secondly, the content warnings are explained a bit in the tags, but I will reiterate them here. This story contains extensive conversations and descriptions of mental illness and verbal and physical abuse. If you’ve played Ray’s Route, you know what you’re in for. This fic has swearing, but not very much of it, and there is implied sexual content. The reason I use the word ‘implied’ is because it is spoken about and referenced a few times, and there are a couple steamy make-out scenes, but sex is never described. I found it appropriate to mark this fic as ‘Mature’, but I would put it at a 16+ rating.
> 
> Lastly, this is a loooooong fic. I’m talking novel-length, 225k+ words, and the chapters get progressively longer. However, I have written and edited it ALL in advance. This fic will not be abandoned or put in hiatus. You are getting what you came for.
> 
> I love Pokémon AUs! Please have fun, and please comment. I put a lot of work into this, and I have more MysMes fics outlined in my drafts. Taking a couple minutes of your time to tell me your thoughts means very much to me.
> 
> Update schedule: a chapter will be published every three days.

The pomegranate green tea was by far one of Hayun’s favourites from the cupboard collection her father has amassed. Reclining in the backyard garden after a morning filled with caring for a newly hatched Pokémon, she barely minded how the large stone she was sitting on sent a chill against the back of her thighs. Plum blossoms dangling above her head, filtering the bright late-April sun. Swaths of flowers clung to the dark hard branches like bundles of lace, and she took in a deep breath through the nose to sigh at the faint pleasant scent. It was a clear odour, freshened by the rain the day before. A gentle breeze rustled through the curly, chin-length strands of her dark hair. 

There was no need for honey in her drink; the fruity bouquet was enough to sweeten a smile. The trickles of warmth from the sky eased her body, and she took a moment to pause her pen strokes to listen to the songbirds trilling. A notebook was balanced on her knee as she jotted down a weekly supplies list for the Pokémon daycare and nursery her father ran. Hayun stared at her fingers as her mind wandered after the most recent phrase, the skin around her nails stained with ink and growing more calloused as the months of playing, bathing, and feeding various species of monsters took their toll. 

Her Sawsbuck, named Yurim, was grazing not far off at the forest’s edge, the blossoms on his antlers in equal full bloom as the trees. Two Vulpixes, one fire and the other ice, lounged at either side of her with their heads partially in her lap. The Ice-type fox, Artemis, was very comfortable in the shade, and the Fire-type, Apollo, was positively basking against the sun-baked rock at the other side. Hayun affectionately scratched behind their ears, fluffing up the tufts of fur on the tops of their heads with a contented hum. The only one of her companions not within eyeshot was likely out hunting.

Hayun could hear her father singing at the other side of the old stone cottage, likely weeding out the camellia plants before the undergrowth spawned too unbearable. His voice was steady and strong, flowing out thickly in a sombre but soothing lullaby. His companion Chatot whistled in harmony with him, sometimes even louder than its human friend. Hayun smiled to herself at the sound; they may not have been a perfect choir, but it was always music to her ears. Their large stone house was a short distance off the beaten path in the countryside, always ready to care for any customer’s needs or let trainers on their journey rest with their teams. Perhaps her father was cheerfully luring them to their business, alerting anyone that  _ you can relax here _ .

Again, she stared at the last line of her list, picking her brain quietly for anything else she was forgetting. She was certain something was slipping her mind, but maybe another walk about the house would set her mind straight. Gently nudging her Vulpixes as a warning, she steadied her bare feet against the somewhat uneven ground and lifted up with ease, pausing only to flip her small notepad closed and pocket it behind her. 

She picked her way down the slight decline and rounded to the back where patches of forsythia broke up the overgrown grass, Artemis and Apollo now up and padding quickly by her. Thrumming Combees and Cutieflies busied themselves at the amaryllis by the wall, dusted with pollen, and Hayun felt her phone vibrate in the back pocket of her jean shorts. The loose sleeves of her overgrown button-up flannel fell from her elbows after the third attempt to push them out of the way. 

It was a text from an unknown number. Hayun suspected a mistake but felt playful when she saw the simple,  _ “Hello!” _ Her curiosity was further piqued by the fact that it was delivered by an app she never remembered installing. Good thing she never did any banking or sensitive information on mobile. 

After offering her name, they were somewhat awkward, despite her efforts to help them find whomever it was they wanted. She stopped strolling when they said that they were a software developer for a think tank, trying to find good testers from a list of willing participants. The grass yielded under Hayun’s feet as she halted, the two fox Pokémon blinking up at her curiously. 

She remembered signing up for that survey for this think tank. They were called Mint Eye, as she recalled, and they were making an A.I. software that realistically imitated relationships between people and their Pokémon to help improve and customize the simulated conditions of Pokéballs. It sounded like a very noble cause, and their credentials checked out.

Apparently, she made the cut. This person continued to provide details, explaining that they had made the testing process into a game for an easier experience for the testers. He even offered a set picture of NPCs in this game. They were all quite handsome and unique with personality, and Hayun quickly realized that this was some reverse-harem archetype, perhaps to make it humorous as well. She wondered how many out of those who signed up decided to decline because of the genre of the testing material.

They requested permission to call her to give a full explanation, and her brows rose. Most businesses would just call, no permission required, so she was inclined to comply, simply for the sake of interest. 

The vigorous vibration from her ringing phone was still a little startling.

“Hey. It’s me; the one who was just chatting with you.” A man’s voice, smooth and casual with a medium timbre. The corners of Hayun’s mouth quirked up at the new spark of fascination. 

“Hey, Mystery Man,” she returned, tone calm and even despite the intrigue. 

He breathed a soft laugh. “Your voice is pretty cute. I just wanted to explain this game I made that I want you to test. Maybe hearing me will make me more credible? Someday I’ll finish the tutorial, and no one will have to listen to me, aha.” He paused for only a heartbeat. “You remember the picture?”

“My memory isn’t too terrible,” she said coyly.

“Good, good. They’re the characters you’ll be chatting with, and they are members of a fundraising organization for Pokémon welfare called the RFA They all have their own Pokémon, too. Your goal is to get close to one of them while successfully recruiting as many guests as you can to come to a fundraising party. You’ll slowly unlock secrets about each of the members. It’s not available to just anyone, though…you’d need to come to the office to test it. Here, I’ll send you the details and the website of our company. We don’t have many members, but it’s all legitimate.”

Hayun put him on speaker as the documents appeared into their chat window. It did look very legitimate to begin with, only improved this information, and she relaxed a little. There was an address, but she didn’t recognize where in the region it could possibly be. “Might be too far away.”

“If you tell me where we can send our company transportation to pick you up, I can determine how far it is,” he returned. “I know this sounds like a lot, but we’re really committed to making sure our testers are treated just right. We even have rooms like a hotel for people who want to stay during testing.”

“I’m not giving you the address of where I am,” she snapped rather quickly, completely on instinct. Pausing to soften her voice, she continued: “Sorry, but you understand why I don’t trust a complete stranger with that. Even  _ if _ you look pretty legitimate.”

“Well, sure. I can understand your caution. You’re a smart woman. If you want, I can have the driver meet you in a more public area. And of course, you are welcome—no, encouraged—to bring your Pokémon. Would that help you feel more at ease?”

Hayun considered it carefully. Was this really worth all this fuss? Although, being a part of this project did seem pretty cool, and nothing this interesting had ever happened to her for a while. Worst case scenario, she could send someone her location from her phone or just break out of there with her Pokémon herself. Though a retired trainer who’d gone on a coming-of-age journey quite a few years ago, she and her Pokémon were still skilled at battle. 

Artemis and Apollo leaned into her calves to ease her anxiety, and Yurim had strode over with heavy, strong steps to watch her carefully. Hayun smiled at them in reassurance and took a breath through her nose. “Alright, yeah. I’ll send you the address of the Pokémon centre nearby. There will be witnesses there, so no funny business.” Her thumbs felt unsteady as she tapped the address into the chatroom. “Get your people to meet me at 1 pm. Fair?”

“Very fair. Thanks so much for trusting me.”

“Eh, I don’t, really, but you don’t seem particularly malicious so I’m coming around,” she admitted.

“Aha. I appreciate your candour. I’ll be honest as well; there’s one more thing I should tell you, so you don’t freak out.”

Hayun tilted her head in thought. “Okay.”

“There is an address for the company, but the branch I am at is top secret. There’s lots of new tech being developed here. The policy is that guests can’t see the route, so you will need to be blindfolded for the journey.”

“You’re kidding,” she deadpanned, getting dangerously close to pulling the plug.

He gave a tiny, soft sigh. It was kind of adorable. “No, I’m not. I know it seems ridiculous, but it’s not my doing. Orders from the top.” 

“No wonder you have such trouble getting testers,” she observed, still suspicious.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” There was a tiny pause. “I understand if you want to back out.”

The young woman hummed. “Well, hang on. Lemme read this thing.” She reopened the documentation he gave on the company. It was no joke; there was no way it was a simple copy-and-paste or editing magic. This was something only an important employee, like the main dev of an A.I. software company, would have. “I’ll still do it, but I reserve the right to beat up your staff and make a break for it if things get fishy. My Pokémon aren’t pushovers, either.”

“Thank you so much! I’m so glad,” he said, sounding relieved. Someone needed to give this guy a break. It might as well have been her. “See you soon. I need to prepare to make everything perfect for your arrival.”

“Yeah, see you soon.”

_ Beep. _

Hayun blinked. Why did she agree to this, again? He was just so convincing. Judging by the reputation of the company, this could be some cutting-edge stuff she was about to be a part of. The nerd in her was jumping up and down in delight. Who knew she’d get this opportunity while working in her dad’s Pokémon daycare-nursery business off the edge of a winding narrow route in the woods?

Apollo nudged her leg with his head, and Artemis crooned quietly for attention. Remembering where she was, Hayun started down the trodden path towards the thicket of bushes where her father was. A sturdy and tall man with a trimmed salt-and-pepper beard and kind features was on his hands and knees, torso-deep into the camellia bed. She smiled fondly at his whimsy. 

“Hey, uh,  _ Dad. _ ”

“Yes,  _ daughter, _ ” he sang.

“I have this, um, project I signed up for?” She wasn’t entirely sure how to frame this for him.

“Oh, good for you, baby-cakes,” he teased, drawing out of the plants to look at her with a grin. A wild Seedot scurried behind the bushes with a mischievous clicking sound.

Hayun smirked back. “I’ve been recruited to do some A.I. testing at a think tank lab. They’re doing research into Pokéball simulation technology and need input from those experienced with Pokémon raising. I’m bringing my team with me and meeting them in a public place first. I’ll text you updates, okay?”

He pulled a concerned look. “You know you’re free to do as you like for other jobs every once in a while, and I can hold down the fort. How long will you be gone?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure, actually…a few days? I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I can. And I’ll text you every day.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “And if something goes wrong, how will I find you?”

She paused, considering it. “When I get there, I’m going to try to send you my GPS location.”

“That sounds just fine. I’m sure it won’t come to that, but it is good to know.”

Nodding back in affirmation, Hayun drew in a slightly nervous breath. “Alright, I’m just going to gather up a bag of a few things. Stuff for my team and a couple changes of clothes, that sort of thing.” She crouched down to give him a quick side-hug. “Love you. And don’t worry, you know I’m far too stubborn to let anybody take advantage of my trust.”

“Like your mother that way, y’know,” he mused, squeezing her back.

“You’re just as stubborn as she was!” Hayun laughed, scowling in jest.

She passed into the cool stone house, her Vulpixes hot on her heels, and put together a few of the essentials for their daily care. She remembered that this employee of the think tank mentioned a residential service for the testers, and she assumed it would be accommodating to any species she might have on her. The more she thought about it, the more her curiosity grew about this game dev and what new marvellous technology he would have in store. 

Her training outfit seemed like the most sensible choice for this journey: black leather working boots with a deep tread, athletic jogging pants, a long, thin, maroon pull-over hoodie with black half-gloves underneath, and a dark beanie hat. It was sensible for the weather, easy to move in, and it looked reasonably cool. She carefully lined the bag with her notebook and ink pens and ducked into the bathroom for a toothbrush and to run her fingers through the curly, thick locks of her ten-inch-long dark hair. It was voluminous enough to frame her head widely, parted from the side, and cut sharply just under her chin.

A phone charger, Pokémon toys, and a collection of berries later, Hayun waved a last goodbye to her father and set out. Raising her thumb and forefinger to her lips, a sharp whistle rang out and within seconds the crystal-like chiming of a Flygon crested above the trees. Siren, this Flygon, blew up a bit of dust as she landed in front of her trainer and trilled sweetly from her throat. Hayun greeted her by gently running her hand along the side of the dragon’s long neck and scratched at the smooth scales by the base of her diamond wings. Siren trilled again, this time with a series of satisfied clicks. This was her at her most gentle; Flygons were known for their throaty ear-shattering cries that earned them the name of phantoms of the desert. 

“Good hunting, girl?” Hayun asked, instantly feeling safe in the presence of her strongest companion. “We’re going on an adventure today. I’d like for you to come with.”

Siren was clearly pleased, straightening above the considerably smaller woman to make a small squeak in affirmation. It was akin to a kitten mewling, making Hayun’s heart melt. The ex-trainer held out the plain Pokéball belonging to Siren. 

“In or out? It’s up to you.”

The Flygon stretched her neck out and pressed her nose to the button. It seems that she wanted a small rest. Hayun glanced down at her Vulpixes.

“You two don’t get a choice. Last time you rode on Yurim you dug your claws in. He’ll toss all of us off. Unless you want to walk yourself,” she mused.

The two of them cried out in protest simultaneously, the sound long and whiny like a Lillipup. Artemis even leapt up onto Hayun’s shoulder, perhaps demonstrating how they could ride without disturbing their elk-like friend.

“You’ll just dig your claws into _me_ ,” Hayun sighed with a smile, patting the ice-type lovingly before expanding her Pokéball. Begrudgingly, Artemis accepted the return, and soon after so did Apollo. “Right, off we go, Yurim!” The Sawsbuck drifted over to her, his steps precise and elegant even as he was a large beast, and he dipped his head for her to mount. It allowed her to use his antlers as a handhold to seat herself bare-back into his soft spring coat of rowan-brown fur. “Off to the Pokémon centre. You know the way.”

Yurim huffed a bit of air through his nostrils and started off with a comfortable trot up the road towards the closest Pokémon centre in the nearby town. There was a clearing in the old trees, the raggedy long grass spilling over the shoulder of the path, wildflowers bobbing calmly in the breeze. It didn’t take long for them to roll in, and hardly fifteen minutes later, the centre came into view. A grade school was having recess next door, though there were barely enough children to hold them all together at different education levels. Her father told her that many of these parents chose to partially homeschool or use online courses in order to keep the older ones up with their age group. 

Some of the kids noticed Hayun stride in on her Sawsbuck and dismount by the bench in front of the Pokémon centre and began to whisper in excitement. Most people in the area knew who she and her dad were, but some also likely knew that she was once a high-profile trainer. The kind that got all eight badges in the region and challenged the League. But that was all behind her now.

Two of the kids, a girl and a boy looking like siblings, gradually gathered themselves over to her, their expressions unsure but curious. Hayun was never offended when children stared at her impressive Sawsbuck or magical Flygon; it was rather innocent and sweet, honestly. It was more the eyes she caught with judgement or even fear that she wasn’t fond of. She smiled kindly as the two approached.

“Uh-Uhm…” the little girl stuttered shyly, making my heart melt a little. 

“Do you want to say hello to him?” Hayun asked her, patting Yurim along the neck firmly. The girl and her brother nodded silently; their attention was completely captured. Hayun moved to casually sling her bag around and dig some Belue berries. She offered one for both of them, and showed how to give them to Yurim, who was already sniffing curiously. 

“Don’t worry, he’s very relaxed,” she counselled, continuing to stroke the Sawsbuck’s side. Yurim’s breath was hot and heavy through his nose as he inspected their gifts, and both children flinched a little when their hair blew away from their faces from the rush of air. His lips gently plucked the berries from their flat palms, and they giggled at the sensation. “See? Nothing to be scared of. C’mon over. You can touch him.” Their tiny hands tickled his snout and it twitched with a threatening sneeze, but instead, he simply rumbled low in contentment. It was so sweet.

Until the four of them got quite the shock. “You two get over her right now!” a shrill voice cried, accompanied by the stomping steps of an alarmed teacher. “You’re bothering the young lady,” she scolded, prompting the two children to scurry off back to the swings. The teacher gave out a loud exasperated sigh. “Sorry about them. They’re too curious for their own good. Hardly minding their manners, half the time.” She glanced as Hayun slipped the bag back onto her shoulders and moved to stroke Yurim’s velvety fur about his ears. “Oh! Why, Hayun, whatever brings you into town?”

The ex-trainer gave a strained smile, peering up at the older woman past the bright sunlight. “Just going on a trip. Meeting up with some colleagues.”

The teacher tilted her head, her piqued interest plain in her eyes. “Oh, are you back to battling, again?”

Hayun shook her head. “Nothing like that. I sometimes lend a hand to professors or scientists working on projects when I’m not helping Dad with the daycare and nursery.”

“I understand. Well, you have safe travels, and sorry about earlier.”

“I don’t mind,” she insisted, leaning into Yurim comfortably. “It’s their time for curiosity, and my Pokémon are used to dealing with little ones, whether they be human or mon.”

The teacher offered another apologetic smile, then carried on her way back to the students. Hayun was left alone, with the remnants of whispers her only company. Probably the most well-known trainer in the little-populated area, it wasn’t easy to shake the rumors and speculation around why she decided to retire so young. She sighed, spirit wilted, and checked her phone. 12:56.

As if right on cue, a Corviknight blotted out the sun for a moment, swooping down in a clear patch of grass with powerful wing strokes. Hayun started, unsure if it was what she was looking for, but when a man of unremarkable stature clambered off the beast in a suit jacket and scanned the centre behind a pair of aviator sunglasses, she steadied herself to straighten up and walk over. 

“Kwon Hayun?” he asked, his voice low but easy to hear. It was not the man she spoke with on the phone, but that was to be expected. She would meet him soon enough, she supposed.

“You must be my gracious chauffeur,” Hayun replied, adjusting the straps of the satchel on her shoulders. Perhaps if she remained in good humour, she could quell the anxiety. He gave a curt nod and turned to the side as if to coax her onto the back of the large dark bird. It was certainly large enough to host the two of them, but she had a thought. “I have a Flygon, I could just follow behind you.”

The mysterious and stoic man simply shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m under orders to make sure you can’t find your way back to our secret branch when you return home. That includes your Pokémon.”

Hayun shrugged, holding out Yurim’s Pokéball to return him and reducing it to strap it to her holster. “Worth a try. Shotgun?”

He didn’t even quirk a smile at her jest. “Whatever is comfortable.”

As Hayun greeted the Corviknight with a kind smile and a gentle stroke along its metallic wings before situating herself at the front of its saddle, the man handed over a sleeping mask. She pressed it between a thumb and forefinger, liking the soft velvet, and quirked an eyebrow at him. “You’ll forgive me if I fall asleep on our journey?”

“I’d consider it a very high compliment of my driving skills,” he replied.

The ex-trainer smirked. “Or perhaps that of your Corviknight. Well, nice seeing you,” she joked as she slipped the mask across her eyes, smoothing some swaths of displaced hair from under the beanie as she tried to get comfortable. He straddled the bird behind Hayun, keeping an as respectful distance from her body as possible, and with an expectedly bracing lurch, they were up in the air.

The silence was initially unnerving. For several minutes, she simply listened to the air rushing past her ears and the Corviknight’s wingbeats. Eventually, unsure how long it had been since they’d taken off, Hayun simply switched from gripping the hold on the saddle and willing herself to keep warm. It was springtime, but that didn’t keep the wind from being mean to the tips of her fingers and nose. She’d never really been blindfolded for long before, and suddenly she could appreciate how perceptive blind people were. Touch and sound were incredibly sensitive as her brain flexed its plasticity. 

“How long has it been?” Hayun asked, breaking the rigid but calm silence.

“Not sure if I should tell you that,” he returned stiffly. 

She made an indignant noise with her tongue. “You’re assuming that I can tell how fast we’re going, and from there extrapolate how far from my original location this secret facility is? Despite the freedom of a 360-degree radius, I can tell where the sun is through this mask and—”

“It’s 2:32 pm.”

She gave a smug smile but wasn’t sure if he was paying enough attention to notice. “Thank you.”

“It won’t be much longer. No need to be restless.”

If she could roll her eyes, she would have. “Pardon my excitement.”

True to his word, it wasn’t much longer before the Corviknight’s angle and elevation changed significantly. They’d wandered into a rougher wind, but it was still a confident and controlled trajectory. She could feel the sun blotting out from the rolling clouds, and then they sharply descended. Her ears twitched and she swallowed to pop the pressure until they met the ground solidly. It smelled different there; like there were more pine trees. She could hear Rookidees in the distance, making the Corviknight’s presence logical.

Her escort slid off the saddle behind her. “Please keep the blindfold on for now.”

Hayun obeyed quietly, pulse loud in her head as she clenched her fists slightly around the leather saddle hold. Her nails were short, but they could still leave a mean mark in her own skin if she didn’t keep it in check. A brief exchange of indistinguishable words preceded his return, and she reached out to be led this time.

There were a series of short stairwells and hallways, Hayun’s boots echoing harshly against cool tile. There were a few other bodies milling about, speaking of management and projects, which put her much more at ease. If she wasn’t mistaken, she could’ve sworn that was a Munna’s cry she heard. Everything softened when they entered a wider space and halted. The escort left, shutting the door behind her. Someone was here, she could feel it. She could hear their breaths.

“Welcome to this wonderful place. I’ve been waiting for you,” spoke a familiar voice. It took Hayun a heartbeat to recognize it, but she knew it was the game dev she conversed with over the phone. Before she could respond, he continued: “Thank you for trusting me. I knew it might be difficult for you. Did you have to leave anything important?”

She replied into darkness. “Nothing inconvenient; my responsibilities are taken care of. You got very lucky with me. Is this that top-secret tech development branch you were talking about?”

“Yes, it is quite the paradise here,” he mused softly. She marvelled at how calm and gentle his voice was in person. Maybe it was the blindfold making her extra sensitive. 

Hayun breathed a short laugh through her nose. “Yeah, I suppose having a job like this would be a dream come true for a dev like you.”

“Aha, I suppose. Here, I’ll lead you to where you’ll be staying as you test my work. There’s some really new stuff in here, so I can’t let you see just yet. Take my hand?” 

She reached out blindly and was met with long, slender fingers gripping hers carefully. He was wearing thin leather gloves, making the contact all the softer. A short shiver ran down her spine, not expecting the texture. 

“I really am thankful you decided to come. Oh, watch your step right here,” he paused and slowed for her, but without patronization. “I’ll do my best to make the stay comfortable and happy for both you and your Pokémon. I’m in charge of looking after you as you test this game for me. And, of course, your happiness with the game will help me make it even better for others.”

“Happy to help,” Hayun returned smartly, though her tone was kinder than it was witty. They made their way into another wider room, but she could see from the bottom edge of the mask that it was bright from natural daylight.

“We’re here. Allow me,” he breathed, his fingertips curling under the mask to lift it off her face. Her eyelashes stuck together a little and it took a moment to adjust to the light, but she was met with a kind-looking stranger. 

He was a few inches taller than her with a slight, slender build, bordering on skinny, sharp cheekbones, and an even, pointed chin. In all honesty, he was positively handsome and had some softer, feminine features. She felt her face grow warm at the realization and the proximity. His eyes were a washed-out cerulean colour, and his layered, slightly unkempt short hair was bleached into an unnatural silvery white with a few remnants of whatever colour was before it. He was dressed rather eccentrically, with a long cranberry suit jacket, a black double-breasted waistcoat, beige slacks, a frilly white cravat, and oxfords. His jacket was textured, almost as if made from corduroy, and pinned to the gold-stitched lapel was a blue rose and baby’s breath. 

Despite the circumstances, it was charismatic, all the way down to his black leather gloves that were cut to expose the heels of his hands. Standing smartly beside him were three charming and well-groomed Pokémon: an Eevee, a Roselia, and a vanilla strawberry Alcremie. They all smiled brightly at the newcomer, picture perfect and adorable.

Hayun blinked up at him, somewhat at a loss for words. Luckily, he filled the silence with a saccharine smile. “We’ve yet to be formally introduced, Miss Kwon. My name is Ray, and these are my Pokémon friends: Fern, Adora, and Lily.”

“Pleased...to meet you all,” she replied quietly with a thick swallow. “But you can call me Hayun. All my friends do.”

His slightly melancholic expression brightened. “You consider me a friend?”

She gave a lop-sided grin. “I think you could become one.”

The man called Ray blinked slowly, seeming lost in thought for a moment. Before Hayun could inquire, he stepped away to display the objects behind him. The room was very fine, right out of an interior design magazine, with a dominant but unassuming light pink hue. There was a quilted bed on the far side with rose embroidery and a tea table with a vase of pink tulips and soft armchairs. The windows were high and clear on the left side, and what looked like a closet and a bathroom sat at the opposite side of the room. Additionally, there was plenty of floor space, perfect for a party of Pokémon. “I hope you like it. These are to be your accommodations during your stay. I hope you understand, the game I’ve made has aspects that can run into the night. Is that comfortable for you?”

“I did prepare for such a thing, just in case,” Hayun said, shifting the strap of her bag for emphasis. “It’s lovely. I’m impressed you’d put so much effort in for testers.”

“Well, I had the resources at my disposal, so why not? You’re free to roam this floor, but the others have the secret tech I was talking about earlier. You don’t have clearance to be there,” he explained patiently. “But we do have a training area for Pokémon on this floor, with full environmental compatibility. It’s one of our other projects that I programmed. Essentially it’s a room-sized Pokéball.”

She nodded, shifting her weight onto one hip as she continued to take in the room. “So, this game. I have to convince guests to come to a fundraising party while becoming close to the other members, and their Pokémon, of this charity organization? Interesting premise.”

He hummed in affirmation. “You’ve got a great memory. All the characters in that picture I showed you are highly complex AIs, as are their Pokémon. Unfortunately, I’ve made them so realistic that they are extremely suspicious to newcomers. The idea is that a hacker patches you into their messenger app that they only have access to, so they are all very cautious. But the challenge is what makes it so fun, hopefully. They’ll try to ask you about the hacker, but you don’t know anything about him. They’ll try to ask where you are, but you can never reveal that. You’ve got to stay secretive until they trust you.”

“I like a challenge,” Hayun mused. “You’re lucky you got a stubborn woman to test this out.”

“Aha! Yes, I can already tell I’m very lucky to have you. Meeting must have been fate.”

_ How poetic _ , she thought.  _ And odd. _

“Oh! One more thing. If they are hard to convince, tell them that a woman named ‘Rika’ sent you to them.”

She squinted. “Sounds important.”

He put a finger to his lips with a playful look. “Spoilers. Just make sure you give me regular updates on the game. Tell me what you like, or if you see a glitch. I need to know everything to get it perfect for the release date of the A.I. software.”

“No problem,” Hayun chirped. 

“Ah, your confidence is infectious. Here, allow me to download everything you’ll need onto your phone.” Ray pulled out a USB from his jacket pocket along with a cord that fed it into three different charging port types. 

The ex-trainer hesitated. “Um, sure, one sec.” Before he could notice, she sent her location to her dad and turned her GPS off directly after. Hopefully, it was enough to work. Just in case. “Here you go.”

“It’ll just take a moment.” He was right. Within two minutes, he handed it straight back, meeting Hayun’s astonished expression with the same calm look. It was still installing, but the speed was surely something. “There, it will be done soon. Do you have any more questions for me before you begin?”

She pulled my mouth to side in thought. “I am quite curious about you. It would be nice to get to know the mastermind behind this thing as I play. And, of course, these cuties!” Hayun leaned over to coo and grin at the adorable trio at his side. They became flustered at the attention, making her heart absolutely melt.

His eyes slid to the side bashfully. “Ah . . . I’ve always wanted someone to lend an ear. My voice is small, and most don’t listen to me very well, but I don’t wish to burden you with such things.”

Hayun’s brows rose. Perhaps he was speaking about lacking respect from his colleagues? Lots of employees went unappreciated. She already felt a little empathetic and protective. Everyone has had that one job. She supposed even a cutting-edge think tank wasn’t perfect.

Ray glanced at the clock on the wall above the door. “We have to go. Promise me you’ll play as best you can, alright? I wish I could talk more, but there’s lots of work to do. I’ll check back in with you later, or, one of these three will. Goodbye for now, Hayun.”

“See you soon, Ray,” she called after him, watching his willowy frame disappear behind the door, quickly followed by his bouncing friends. To her relief, there was no lock on the outside, only on her end. 

Hayun let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and placed her satchel on one of the sofa chairs. This whole thing turned into more of a storm than she ever intended, but let it never be said that Kwon Hayun didn’t hold commitment. She wondered about Ray and his odd wardrobe as her fingers traced the back of the chair and her steps drew close to the window. She speculated internally that it was all a grand aesthetic the company was going for, sort of like an escape room. After all, the League gyms weren’t too different in terms of theatrics. 

As she peered outside, Hayun surmised that this room was on the third floor, where below there was a garden adjacent to a construction zone. It looked very well looked after, perhaps being an effort for employee and Pokémon morale. There certainly was room for it out here in the middle of nowhere, though she had heard of company roof-top gardens in the cities. 

A vibration drew her attention back to her phone. The game app was nearly finished installing, but her dad had sent a confirmation message. He’d gotten her location. At least she had an out if necessary, though she had no doubt in her ability to break out with her team. Hayun quickly told her father that if she stopped giving him daily updates, then she was in over her head, but for the moment, everything was looking just fine.

_ Installation complete. _

Hayun drew in a long breath through her nose, something she often did in anticipation, and opened the app, taking a seat in the chair adjacent to her bag. Just for good measure, she decided to release her complimentary Vulpixes out of their Pokéballs to explore the room. New environments could be startling, so it was important to start slow, and release her team gradually. Artemis was very pleased by her surroundings, almost immediately finding the plush cushion of the chair opposing her trainer and folding her paws underneath her. Apollo was a bit more curious, taking to smelling nearly everything in the room before settling on the bed.

Following a rolling string of green code from a command prompt, Hayun was tossed into a simple-looking chatroom with a sky background. She’d interrupted a script of three characters discussing some book that one of their friends wrote, presumedly another member. Her mouth drifted into a smile as she watched the colourful personalities interact. The redhead, 707, was cheerful and mischievous; the blond, Yoosung, was more unassuming and softer; and the albino, Zen, seemed completely unimpressed with the concept of this book. Pretty quickly, Han Jumin, the author of said book, broke into the conversation, along with his assistant, Kang Jaehee. V was the last to voice his opinion, seemingly the calm and patient parent-like figure of the group. Apparently, this book was a best seller already.

With loud-looking speech bubbles and large text (along with far too many exclamation points) the character 707 announced an intruder.  _ That’s my queue, _ she supposed. Then they saw her username listed in the chat.  _ Hayun _ . A series of astonished reactions littered the chat, and she found herself easily swept into the dialogue, or mostly text-shouting. 707 couldn’t understand how she was allowed in, and Jumin asked V if he had invited a new member, allowing her to surmise that he was the head.

Hayun was prompted to respond, but the chat continued. It looked like she could remain silent if she chose to be but could now interrupt them and cause the AIs to make decisions in response. She felt a thrill while forming the first message. 

_ “I’d say it’s a pleasure, but I’m afraid I’ve alarmed you all.” _

Jumin and Jaehee were the first to demand an explanation. 707 continued his silly narration, explaining that someone sent him a challenge letter to his email, and it was picked out by his spam filter. If it weren’t for his playful tone, Hayun would have said he seemed spooked. The others speculate that he’d been stirring up too much trouble. He admitted to hacking into a claimed-secure facility and left behind a Skitty paw print. She sputtered a laugh out loud, Artemis’ and Apollo’s ears twitching at her outburst.

_ “Real cute, but I don’t know anything about that.” _

He figured as much, to the exasperation of the others, and quickly went on to find traces of the supposed hack. Meanwhile, the other wanted more immediate action, but V admits to having a bit of a meltdown. He seemed quite calm for such a thing, especially since it was supposedly the first time 707’s security could be breached. They instead resorted to asking directly. Yoosung asked where Hayun was from.

_ “From the bottom of your heart.” _

They realized quickly that they weren’t going to get a straight answer. Zen wondered if it was an ardent fan of his, but Hayun could only speculate on his career to warrant such a reaction. As it turned out, 707 couldn’t find her location. Jumin changed his strategy. Soon, she was bombarded with a series of questions. She explained very carefully that she was to host some sort of fundraising party with little success, but as soon as she mentioned Rika, everything went into chaos. It was extremely clear that Rika was a core aspect of this game. From the solemn V she learned that the character of Rika had died six months ago. Yoosung was the one who kept Hayun from a game over, insisting that if there was something she knew, he wanted to figure it out. It was a very extreme emotional reaction, and she was thoroughly impressed by the complexity of this game.

After watching the back-and-forth, observing the hostility Yoosung had for V, the support Jumin and 707 had for V, and the voices of reason in Jaehee and Zen, Hayun decided it was best to watch carefully and remain unspeaking for now. Then V mentioned wanting to talk to her over the phone, and 707 agreed to patch him in. Her heart stuttered. Surely it wasn’t a true phone call? Just pre-recorded, certainly. They remained suspicious, but allowed her to stay, and she anxiously waited to see if she had passed the threshold into the next level. As members trickled out of the chat, Yoosung revealed that Rika had committed suicide. No wonder they were all so emotional about it. It was a surprisingly mature theme for such a frivolous-sounding game. 

As she exited the chatroom from being left alone, Hayun immediately received a call through the app. Her Vulpixes raised their heads and peered at her slight distress and hesitation. Her thumbs trembling a little, but she pressed to receive and held it up to an ear.

“Hello? Oh, the phone’s working alright. Please excuse me. I’m V, the head of the RFA.” His voice was even, but slightly strained, as if he were at the end of a long day. Still, he remained polite and gracious. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, even if it is not face-to-face. I’m Kwon Hayun, but I usually just go by Hayun. I’m sorry if I distressed everyone.”

“Oh, don’t trouble yourself too much,” he returned, and her jaw nearly hit the floor. How could this even be possible? The technology required— “We would’ve never imagined some stranger entering the messenger. I need to ask you something if you’re not offended.”

“O-Oh, of course not, go ahead.”

“Thank you. Could you please tell me how you’d known Rika?”

Hayun went to the first excuse she could think of. “We were online friends for a short time, but we’d grown close. I-I actually didn’t know what had happened to her. She’d simply stopped talking to me six months ago.” Even though she knew it wasn’t a real conversation, she still felt so dirty telling such an emotionally manipulative lie. 

“I understand; it must be quite a shock, as it was to us all. How did you get into the messenger, then?”

“Well, I, uh, received a set of instructions from her before she—before she left. Those instructions led me to the messenger, but I don’t know how any of it works, and as soon as I went through the steps, the message she gave me disappeared.”

“Hm. I see. How curious. Thank you, though. I think that’s enough questions for now. We should fulfill her wishes. We share a common goal in hosting the parties. I’ll help you learn how to take on this responsibility slowly, so you don’t get overwhelmed. If you really are a friend of Rika’s I hope we can all get to know you more soon.”

“Yes, I wish for that also. And rest assured, I’ll do my absolute best to coordinate the party.”

“Thank you. I have to go now, but I trust we’ll speak again soon. Goodbye for now.”

“Bye.”

As soon as she hung up, Hayun pushed my phone away from her on the table and let out a long sigh. At the end of that breath, she let out a soft “Oh, Arceus.”  _ What a game! _ How could this Ray fellow make it seem like she was talking with a real person over the phone? Chatting with actual people who texted so fast. And she could respond anytime, with no dialogue options or stops and starts. It was complete freedom. How did the AIs make decisions based on her responses? Surely only a Zoroark was capable of this level of illusion. What if she just put in random text? Ray said to be careful, so that was a question she could likely never answer herself. The voice recognition technology alone must’ve been monstrous. 

Whatever it was that Hayun had gotten herself into, it was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hayun has the terrible Pokémon trainer's condition of "this seems fine" in dubious situations. The poor dear.


	2. Day One

Hayun had taken a few minutes to settle into the room, her notebook now opened on the table and satchel half unpacked on the bed, when she noticed a small note on the pillow of the pristine bed. The small stiff card was smooth and fine, and the ink markings were written in a simple but slightly feminine hand. Yurim, who was now out of his Pokéball to get comfortable with the room, shared her interest in the card as he leered over her shoulder.

_ Please make yourself comfortable. The bathroom has everything you might need, and your meals are already arranged to be delivered regularly. The training room is the second door down the hall. There is also a library on this floor. Don’t hesitate to text or call me for anything. –Ray _

She hummed, tapping the card to her chin in thought.

As Hayun neatly folded her extra sets of clothes into the bedside table along with Pokémon medical supplies, a vibration from the bed absorbed her attention. The phone alerted her to a new notification from the game; already someone was back in the chatroom. Grinning to herself, she tapped it open and laid back on the quilt, legs dangling off the side. 

The character Zen was lamenting about a role that he hadn’t gotten a callback for; one for which the cast of the play was to be announced tomorrow. She sympathized with him and offered her own experience with disappointment: training her team for days as a preteen only to come out beat by a gym leader. It was still a decent accomplishment when she did win, but she was vying for perfection, and never let it happen a second time. Zen was very impressed that she was once a trainer, saying he didn’t have the time or funds to go on a coming-of-age journey as a kid, and he’s more than happy with his companion. 

When she asked about the play, he painted a fine picture of a man who was split in the mind. With two wildly different personalities in one body, it was sure to be an exercise in the lead’s acting ability. His admiration for the director’s abilities in interpreting the work was heartening, and she was astonished at how Ray could coax such depth of personality while maintaining the AI’s faculties. The actor even shared an image of his male Kirlia being incredibly dramatic while being a sounding board for Zen’s line reading.

As Hayun continued to inquire about his acting career, he revealed that while ‘Zen’ was his stage name, Ryu Hyun was what he was born with. It had a lovely sound, and she told him so, prompting the sweetest of flirtations. What a charmer. 

Just as he asked about her own hobbies, he abruptly left the chatroom, and her brows twitched as she scowled in anticipation. A scroll of green text rolled by, and Hayun wondered if she’d already stumbled across a glitch. Instead, she was greeted with a sharp “Hi!” from a username labelled ‘Ray’. He asked if the game was still enjoyable and explained that he could easily stop the game to chat with her during these developmental stages.

“Well, how ‘bout that…” Hayun muttered softly to herself, intrigued. 

Apparently, he also had emotes like the AIs, customized to look exactly like him. She had to admit, it was very adorable. Since he couldn’t visit her all the time, this was the best way to keep tabs on her gameplay as it went by. They discussed the game for a few minutes, and Hayun expressed how truly impressed she was with his work. He was so pleased to get acknowledgement, his soft phrases warming her smile as she stared impatiently for his next text.

“ _ So, who do you like best so far _ ?” he asked.

She paused to consider it honestly. So far, it was hard to tell. Zen certainly was handsome and surprisingly passionate, but she was getting some serious friend vibes with him. More like a wingman and drinking buddy than a boyfriend. The others she hadn’t had the chance to talk up much, but they were all of interest to some degree. 707 seemed like the goofball but was clearly a genius and had more complexity. Jumin was cold, and Jaehee was a little stiff, but they both seemed like slaves to their own expectations of themselves. Yoosung was overly emotional with a hurt heart of gold. V was harder to read—only time would tell there.

Finally, feeling rather smart, Hayun replied:  _ “I think you’re the most fun to talk to, Ray.” _

It didn’t take long for him to respond.  _ “I’ve never had someone enjoy my company so quickly.” _ Before she could come up with a playful return, he continued.  _ “Oh, have you and your Pokémon had lunch? I’d hate for you to go hungry. What do you like?” _

_ “What are your favourite foods, Ray?” _ He may have wanted her to get close to his AIs, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try weaseling her way to be friendly with him. 

_ “Me? Oh, that’s a secret.” _ He added a heart emote, his caricature kissing his blue rose.

_ What a little flirt!  _ Hayun thought. Perhaps that’s where Zen got it. Though the playful tone reminded her more of 707.

_ “It was wonderful chatting with you, but I have to get back to work.” _

_ “Come by again soon,” _ she encouraged.  _ “It’s nice to take a mental break from trying to get those AIs to trust me.” _

_ “Of course. Bye.” _

With another flash of green code, Hayun was flung back into the chat with Zen. Oddly, he seemed to recognize the change, as if it were a small glitch.  _ Interesting. _ She played dumb, presuming it a bug, and he agreed to it quickly. They passed through a pleasant but rather regular conversation, and she discovered his confidence about his looks that bordered on narcissism. Somehow, she just found it comedic rather than annoying. His Kirlia seemed rather vain as well if the picture he sent was any indication, though the creature certainly was enjoying itself.

She was startled when the phone began to vibrate harshly with a call. It was Ray again, and she wondered if something was amiss.

“Ray? Is something wrong?” Hayun began, rolling onto her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows. Artemis and Apollo were play-fighting on the bed nearby, but when they saw her wistful expression, they blinked at her with their big eyes, curled up with rusty fur against white. Yurim was much more interested in standing by the open window near the garden below, enjoying the fresh air.

“Wrong? No, not at all,” his returned, his tone as breathy and gentle as ever. “I just wanted to hear your voice.” She couldn’t help but notice her fingertips grow warm. 

“Y-you like my voice?” she said, slightly baffled. It wasn’t as if her voice was terrible, it simply wasn’t a compliment she ever distinctly recalled receiving. 

“Of course. I told you, your confidence is rather infectious.” Hayun considered that this confidence was something he liked to spur him on to say such things in the first place, as if they were heightening it in one another. She scolded herself for such a pitifully romantic notion. This silly schoolgirl crush likely wouldn’t get her anywhere. Just because he was good looking, smart, kind, and positively gentle didn’t mean she needed to lose her head.

“Sometimes my confidence makes me cocky but thank you for saying that. I find your voice quite relaxing as well.” 

“Really? You like my voice . . . I’ve never received such a compliment. I’m not sure what to say,” he admitted, tone wavering in his fluster. 

“Now you know how I feel!” Hayun cried, giggling brightly. 

He joined her with a lower, softer chuckle. “Your laugh is so sweet. Oh, but I’ve gotten distracted. I meant to ask you if you think the Zen AI is still suspicious of you?”

She hummed in thought. “I’m just doing my best to make him comfortable with me. Play to his apparent characteristics, flatter him a little—”

“You’re smart. That’s a good way to start. Well, don’t worry too much, they’re not real,” he said, sounding a bit firmer, “and ask any questions you might have along the way.”

“Most of it has felt quite natural,” she explained. “The way he talked about his Pokémon, the way it looked in the pictures…it’s all so convincing. Honestly, when this thing is done, it’ll be a work of art.”

Hayun heard him draw in a short breath. “How kind. I hate to let you go, but work is calling, and then I need to look after my friends. I’ll send you and your Pokémon something to eat, yes?”

“Oh, right,” she sighed. “Sorry, we got very distracted. I don’t have any food allergies, so don’t worry about that. If your colleagues have any berries, we’d be grateful for the snack.”

“I still have yet to meet them. I'm very excited about that. What sort of flavours do they prefer?”

“Oh, sour, spicy, and dry. I should’ve specified.”

“Consider it done. Your Pokémon must be very strong. My three are sweet tooths, like me…” he trailed off, voice getting gradually quieter and unsure, as if he was ashamed. “I’m not that great at battling, either.”

Hayun’s brows knit together. “Pokémon don’t need to battle to lead good lives, nor do you. Besides, I’m sure they are very quick if they love sweets so much.”

“I suppose that’s true. You’re right. Ah, I feel better when you say things like that to me. I’d love to speak with you more, but I truly must go. Talk to you later.”

“Bye now.”

As soon as she hung up, Hayun tossed the phone to the side and stretched her arms out, rolling over again to arch her back off the bed with a fatigued groan. As she relaxed, Artemis and Apollo came to cuddle with her, cool and warm bodies pressed up against her sides. Something about this guy was so fascinating, and the idea of becoming friends tickled her pink. Hayun glanced at the décor.  _ Ha, subconscious puns. _

She stared at the ceiling for a little while, wondering what she would do with herself between tests, and barely noticed the time go by until there was a knock. Hopping off the bed and striding over, she was greeted by a petite woman, several inches shorter than her, with a silver tray and a dome cover. Hayun’s brows rose, but she turned to the side to allow the woman in. She wore a fairly blank expression, but given her ironed blazer and straight, sleek hair, Hayun guessed she was simply a serious secretary. There were two reduced Pokéballs strapped to her belt. She left as quickly as she came, barely a murmur in response to Hayun’s thanks.

When she said she’d like some berries as a snack, she was not expecting a spread of some of the rarest berries on the market. Perhaps they had their own greenhouse, but some of them were incredibly hard to grow. She’d not had Apicot in a very long time, but the reunion was most appreciated. Hayun picked through the tray as her Pokémon helped themselves happily. The Vulpixes had no qualms about sitting directly on the table and picking out their favourites, and while Yurim was not overly picky, he had his preferences. Hayun took care of the rest, in addition to a modest bowl of rice and seasoned tofu left specifically for her. 

The ex-trainer jotted down some ideas and observations into her notebook to kill time, often finding her gaze drifting out towards the golden afternoon sun reflecting off scattered dust particles. At first, she jotted down little details about the game, and then it morphed into questions she wanted to ask Ray. She found herself scribbling down disjointed strings about his Pokémon and what his colleagues were like. Did he want to evolve his Eevee? Did the others treat him well? Judging by his brief comment earlier that day, they didn’t think much of him despite how he was the head programmer, as far as she could tell. 

After a little while, she released Siren so the Flygon could get accustomed to the place they were staying for the next few days. The dragon was disappointed by the confines of the room, but Hayun was quick to reassure her into relaxing a bit more. She had a neutral temperament, but compared to Hayun’s other Pokémon, was definitely more prone to being high-strung in new situations.

“Don’t worry, they’ve got a play area we can visit later,” Hayun consoled, rubbing the Flygon’s head affectionately between her eyes as they lounged on the bed. Artemis and Apollo were very sated from their meal and sleeping it off on the pillows. “They can simulate a desert even better than a Pokéball. You can fly for hours if you want.” Siren trilled low and quiet in approval, content to stay with her trainer for now.

Time passed more quickly than Hayun imagined, and once again she was drawn to the chatroom through notifications. Within the next hours, she learned how much Yoosung loved Rika, how the former RFA leader had been adopted by his aunt and uncle, and how kind and inspiring she was. He could never understand why she would kill herself, but often the most difficult things in life were the most silent and cryptic. Hayun had also learned about V being a prominent photographer and his relationship with Rika and their role in the organization.

Later, 707 was online, yammering about Nincadas and how they were the perfect symbol for hackers. Unable to stand sunlight, waiting for the perfect moment to pop out and be super loud and annoying. His frantic and informal messaging style was entertaining enough on its own before he declared Skitties and Delcatties his personal battery charger (which was ironic, given that he said he’d have to settle for a twin pair of Plusle and Minun, of which he showed many adorable pictures). Hayun was particularly fond of Delcatties since her mother adored them, and she announced a desire to see one as well. 

He began to count down when Jumin popped into frame. Needless to say, the business heir was somewhat displeased at the silly display. From there Hayun was reminded of the apparent beauty of Elizabeth the Third, his Delcatty. She requested to Jumin that she refer to his precious feline as Lizzy, rather than the affectionate but undignified ‘Elly’ 707 insisted on. He said he’d tolerate it. They did, however, agree on the importance of proper Pokémon care, especially that of calm Normal-types, who seemed often overlooked. Through a series of curious events and topics, she discovered more clearly how close Jumin and V had been from a very young age.

After they both left, Hayun received a call from 707, the first of her hearing this AI’s voice. It was odd, as he went through his introduction, he projected in a playful, almost sing-song manner, but as he grew more thoughtful about how her presence in the chatroom came to pass, his voice had a smoother timbre and a slightly deeper tone. He called her ‘Miss Mysterious’ and asked some strange question about an imaginary ice cream vendor, prompting her to give a description of this fictional person in her mind.

Hayun’s neutral smile turned mischievous, thinking of who could be listening to her playing this game. “I’d say…a young man, a little on the thin side, but just a few inches taller than me. Light blue eyes, like turquoise washed in water too many times. He’s got handsome features—but he looks tired. Though, I would find that the little flaws make him more attractive, more human.”

“That from just a glimpse?” 707 returned, humorous. 

“Of course,” she said plainly. “If he’s someone worth remembering, I daresay I’d pay attention.”

He chuckled, and the ring of it reminded her of something. “Alright, fair enough. You’ve revealed a lot about yourself with that, you know.”

“Oh?” Hayun chirped. “Can you read me like a book, oh Hacker God Seven-Oh-Seven?”

This time it was a dramatic chortle. “Oho! Right you are, but this god has to go back to work. Talk to you later, Hayun ~ ”

After hanging up, she tapped the edge of her phone against her chin in thought. Something about this guy was weirdly familiar. It was certainly a distant or barely impressionable memory; it was something deep or too far and loose to grasp, like smoke. She decided to let it go and wait for it to come to her later.

Dinner was delivered by the same stoic woman at 7 o’clock on the dot, and Hayun was delighted with seared cod, mixed greens, and the fluffiest rice she’d ever had the pleasure to place in her mouth. A truly fine service for this company’s game testers, and she wasn’t complaining. Her Pokémon had species-tailored nutrition replacement meals as the bulk of their dinner, not unlike what they would have received at home. Along with it came more berries customized to their tastes, and soon they were all in high spirits.

Shortly after polishing her plate off, Hayun was finding herself aching a bit for sitting for so long and took to stretching for a short time. She laughed when her Ice- and Fire-type Vulpixes mirrored her movements, mewling happily at her. Zen and Jaehee were lighting up the chatroom already, and it was apparent that Jaehee was a loyal fan of his acting and fine looks. Zen was an exceptionally handsome man, Hayun had to agree, but genuinely, she found that less appealing than most. Perhaps his looks just weren’t enough to overcome the generally older brother-like vibes she was getting from him. They remained rather sceptical of her origins, but she managed to put them at ease well enough.

Jaehee called shortly after, and they introduced themselves politely to each other. Hayun tried to reign in her generally amused and casual tone in favour of something that would cater to Jaehee’s personality, but her pleasantly soft voice put the ex-trainer at ease. It was nice to hear another woman talk. She was quite frank that it would take time and familiarity in order to trust Hayun, and the younger woman didn’t blame her. Jaehee’s concern for the privacy of the members revealed her commitment to all of her friends there. She was worried for the possibility of scandal, especially for Zen, whose career she was prepared to viciously defend. They were quite amiable, but Hayun was once again amazed at the complexity this game had to offer.

The evening felt even faster as Hayun passed it in the training room down the hall. The simulation program was amazing, though it only worked for Pokémon. For a human, the training room could only be used in its default form, but Siren was especially pleased to burn off some energy in what was essentially a large luxury Pokéball. After each one in her party had a turn, they resumed relaxing in the room assigned for their stay. Hayun had taken up sitting in the windowsill with her notebook, now simply doodling aimlessly. It was a bit strange, not having a million things to do like she did at the nursery-daycare. The stretches were helpful, but she ached for activity. Surely there was a way she could exercise around here? Perhaps before taking a shower tomorrow morning, she could cycle through some yoga forms. 

Hayun popped her neck, closed the notebook, and folded herself up against the cool glass. The stars were a bit brighter compared to the sky at her home. Though it was in the countryside, the nearest city still cast some light pollution into their skies. Here, with hardly a puff of cloud in the sky, she could practically see the imprints of the larger nebulas. That reminded her to tell her father everything was still just fine, and about how fascinating this place was.

Jumin wandered into the chat on his own. They were nothing but courteous to one another, discussing the day and his delight at receiving a gift of wine. His stoic business exterior peeled away to reveal a truly thoughtful and almost gentle psyche. He confided in Hayun that he felt his best friend was slipping away after the untimely and tragic death of the latter’s fiancé, and, despite him being a fictional character, her heart grew tight with empathy. They concluded with talking about Elizabeth the Third, but he called her directly after to continue speaking about his precious Delcatty’s health and calling the creature’s personal nurse for a checkup and restoration.

“I considered that it would be better to call early than so late,” he rationalized aloud, and the corners of Hayun’s lips quirked upward as she leaned her head back against the windowpane behind her. “What time do you usually retire to sleep?”

“Hm. Me? It depends on whether I need to watch eggs in the nursery. That can carry me into the AM. But I definitely prefer turning in around ten or eleven.”

“Nursery? Are you a breeder?”

She shifted in her spot, wondering what a businessman like Jumin would think. “My dad is. I also help him out with the daycare we run. After I was done with battling, I decided to dedicate my time to raising Pokémon.”

“It is a very fine occupation,” he said without hesitation. “I’ve thought of matching up Elizabeth for a clutch of eggs, but I was consistently disappointed by prospective mates for her. Were you so unsatisfied with battling that you changed direction so young?”

“No, battling is great, so long as your Pokémon enjoy it too, it’s just…it’s complicated. Battling is a spectacle and it’s downright emotional, but I adore the quiet work my dad does. I’m naturally fairly confident and brash, which carried me a long way when I got my badges as a kid, but that wasn’t enough to sustain me, practically speaking.” Hayun felt a little uncomfortable, being scrutinized, but Jumin was not nearly as judgemental as she would’ve thought. Perhaps Ray made him that way to make him more appealing to those that would play this game.

“What are other things you excel in?” he inquired, sounding genuinely interested.

“Um, a few things, actually. I like to write poetry sometimes. I used to play piano and sing a lot. And I’ve gotten pretty good at cooking for all the Pokémon we raise.” She let out a nervous laugh. It had been a while since she’d made such a sound. “Being mediocre in more than one area isn’t exactly rewarding. Jack of all trades, master of none,” she invoked.

“But better than master of one,” Jumin finished. His enunciation was rather impeccable, as to be expected of the prestigious businessman. Still, that the AI could inflex a voice in such a way and still sound natural certainly sent her for a loop. “Your aspirations are no less important than anyone else’s simply because you have interests and talents that the world is not accommodating to. Being a breeder and raiser of Pokémon is just as noble as a League Champion.”

She tried to ignore such a poignant statement. “And what of you, Jumin? A man who has everything—what do you want out of life?”

“Kinship, I suppose. Family, friends, Elizabeth the Third, the RFA—they are all so important to me, and they all support me in some way.”

Hayun let out a breath through my nose. “A fine answer, Mr. Han.”

“I’ve spoken with you longer than I intended. We’ll talk more as the plan for the party proceeds. Goodbye for now.”

“Have a good night, Jumin.”

Hayun slid the phone between her thighs and slouched into the windowpane further, head lolling to the side as she gazed out towards the mountainous skyline. Jumin was hurting in a way she couldn’t really grasp. He was a very honest person, like her, but cleverly concealed his personal feelings very easily. The ripples of Rika’s suicide could be felt throughout the entire cast of this game, and Hayun wondered what sort of challenge awaited her. It had only been an afternoon and an evening with them, but to Ray’s credit, she was already attached, no doubt in combination of the very personal gameplay and the robustness of the characters.

She wasn’t ready to leave the windowsill just yet, but dinner’s taste was still sitting in her mouth, so she slipped back onto the floor and padded over to the bathroom, brushed up, changed into a soft pair of loose shorts before returning to her Pokémon with a yawn. Yurim needed his regular brushing, and it was ever so satisfying to scrape out the loose hair and dirt from his pelt, but that would have to wait until tomorrow and in a better suited location. A fine comb made Artemis’ moon-glow hide shimmer in the light of the night and made the golden threads in Apollo’s fur shimmer like a solar flare. Siren’s scales were fine and tightly set to keep out harsh and dry sandstorms, but she still needed the occasional thin coat of wax in sensitive spots to keep her lustre. Hayun had sat back into the windowsill with her Vulpixes curled in her lap, dozing off and slowly growing more comfortable. 

A stiff vibration alerted her to new chatroom activity some time later, the phone having fallen to the sill underneath her. Hayun stretched and yawned, wiggling her hips a bit with the action, and opened it up. It was V, expressing his belief in her goodwill, being someone sent by Rika. He showed her a picture of them together; the late RFA leader was positively radiant, hair tumbling down her shoulders like sunshine. He described her character, and the love he spoke nearly brought Hayun to tears. He wanted to trust and get to know her, and she responded in kind, trying her best to be gentle with his vulnerability. The love he had for the organization was quite apparent also. 

One thing that startled her, however, was what he thought about love. _“Life becomes more brilliant when there is someone there to support you and give your life purpose,”_ he’d said. It made her frown. Hayun’s parents had loved each other for over 15 years before her mother’s death, and one thing they made very clear was, although they adored one another and wouldn’t hesitate to do hard work for each other’s happiness and wellness, they were still individuals. To think that your significant other was meant to complete your life and elevate your existence was completely mistaken. It wouldn’t be fair to either partner. Hayun never said anything, but she wondered if that pressure had begun to weigh on Rika. 

Hayun inquired about V’s Pokémon if he had any. He confirmed that he did, but he felt it was unfair to infect them with his sorrow. It was difficult to see them suffer for him. She tried to remind the man that while it might seem like he’s doing them a favour, driving his companions away would only worsen the pain. He told her it was his decision to make, and what more could she argue? Still, they remained on pleasant terms, but the conversation left her uneasy. Before she could ponder it further, she inhaled sharply at a knock by the door. 

“It’s me, Ray. May I come in?” came the muffled voice, still as soft as ever.

Hayun resisted a grin, failing. “Of course, let yourself through.”

The latch pulled back and Ray came in, still in his dapper corduroy tailcoat, his Eevee scurrying by his feet. Hayun straightened herself a little to greet him, noticing that he didn’t open the door all the way, instead rather meekly sliding past the threshold with minimal room. 

“I’m so glad,” he began, his voice nearly a whisper in the night. The starlight that pooled out of the windows made his bleached white hair almost glow as he approached. “I think I’ve missed you already. Oh—” 

Ray blinked at her Pokémon gathered around her. Yurim was standing rather close to her defensively, his spring-blossom antlers sprouting high on his proud head. Siren’s diamond-shaped wings vibrated in alarm, and the Vulpixes’ ears perked and twitched.

Hayun bit the inside of her cheek, not liking the distressed look on his face. She laid a hand on Yurim’s shoulder to let him know that all was well. “It’s alright, everyone. Ray is a good man.” She gave Ray a sympathetic expression. His Eevee was almost cowering. “I hope it’s alright that they’re all out. Don’t be scared, they won’t—” 

“I’m sorry!” he cried, and his voice pitched slightly higher as he wrung his wrists nervously. “If I’d known you’d take to sitting by the window, I would’ve gotten more pillows or a soft blanket so you wouldn’t be sitting directly on the painted wood.”

That flustered Hayun, and she put her hands up somewhat frantically. “No! I’m fine; don’t worry. I do this all the time.” 

Ray shifted from one foot to the other, looking dejected and uncomfortable. He only glanced down to notice that his Eevee was rubbing her head against his leg. 

Hayun tried to smooth things over quickly. “Well, erm—you can bring me one tomorrow, I suppose? But not right now, I’ve been waiting to see you again.”

His handsome features turned for the better at that. “Me? You really must like my company, then.”

She nodded, gesturing to the vacant space on the windowsill in front of her. “Sit with me a while, won’t you? I’ve gotten a little lonely.”

Ray complied silently, though his head tilted to the side with a small smile as he carefully smoothed his jacket to sit. In order to face her properly, he took to placing one leg up on the sill while the other dangled off. His posture was impeccable, his slender, black-gloved fingers adjusting his cravat while avoiding her gaze for a moment. The Eevee immediately settled into his lap, peering wide-eyed at Artemis and Apollo. He patted her between the ears, and she chittered in delight.

“It’s nice to see you again, Fern,” Hayun told the little creature with a fond look. She threaded her fingers through the cloudy fluff at the top of her Ice-type Vulpix. “This is Artemis,” she then patted her Fire-type Vulpix, “and Apollo. They are sister and brother.” Pointing to the Sawsbuck and Flygon, she continued. “This is Yurim and Siren. I’ve had Yurim as my friend since I was very young.”

Ray nodded sheepishly in respect for the large elk and dragon. Both he and Fern looked rather intimidated, which Hayun found upsetting. Usually, people were only like this if they were forced to battle either by peer pressure or by the honour of a challenge. She really hoped that was not the case. “Looks like you’re a very strong trainer,” he muttered.

Hayun wanted to change the subject. “How was your day, Ray?” she inquired, fiddling with the edge of her shorts mindlessly. 

He took to staring up at the sky through the window, eyes wide and striking in their minty turquoise. His eyelashes were also incredibly fair, and she speculated that he was either naturally blond or ginger. Judging by the now visible smattering of freckles across his pale nose, she found him being ginger more likely. Her cheeks were getting warm just staring at him, but she attempted to shake off the initial attraction. 

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m more interested in your day. How did you like your first day of the game?”

“It’s fantastic. I’m already so immersed. The complexity of the AIs, the fact that I can have a fake phone call with them—it’s completely astounding. The characters are all so fleshed out and distinct, and the realism of their grief over Rika is very convincing,” Hayun gushed, still keeping her voice low into the quiet and still night even in her excitement. 

Ray shifted his gaze back onto her, a tender smile in his eyes. Fern had curled up in his lap not unlike the twin Vulpixes in hers. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Who’s your favourite so far?” 

She smirked. “You mean, besides you?” 

He laughed, half breathy, half nervous, and scrunched his shoulders as he placed a hand against the ankle of his raised leg. “Yes, besides me.”

“Hm. I’m not sure who is the most attractive to me, but I find Jumin the most fascinating character,” Hayun admitted fully, leaning her head against the cool glass of the window. “He’s quite the mystery, so emotionally subdued, but incredibly thoughtful. It’s interesting. But who knows? My opinion might change as this goes on.”

“He’s by far one of the more challenging characters. You’d said you liked a challenge, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. I wonder if I made them too flawed and realistic . . . sometimes I don’t even know what they’ll do.” Ray looked down, rubbing his thumb against the argyle sock on his ankle. “I’ll be sure to keep your opinions in mind, though. F-For the next update I do, I mean.”

He almost looked uncomfortable. Despite Hayun’s exclusively positive feedback, she thought that perhaps he was overthinking and being critical of his own work. “Enough of that,” she sighed, trying to change the subject yet. “Tell me about you and your Pokémon, Ray.”

“Me? Again?” he returned, glancing up through his bangs and straightening up again. “You’re so curious.” Looking to the side, he seemed briefly pensive. “No one really asks much about me. What do you want to know?”

“Ah, don’t be nervous!” Hayun insisted, hissing a little louder than intended. She flinched and quieted herself, continuing: “You’re right, I am a terribly curious person; that’s why I came here in the first place. I used to get in all sorts of trouble and find out things I was never supposed to know or running off into wild Pokémon, especially when I was little. Here, if it’ll help, I’ll ask easy questions. I just want to get to know you.”

Ray nodded in agreement, remaining silent.

Hayun finger combed through the tuft of fur at the top of Artemis’ head again, and the Ice-type Vulpix blinked her wide blue eyes and hiccupped a puff of frosted air. Hayun and Ray looked at each other in surprise, and then giggled. “Alright. Tell me about your family.”

He visibly bristled. “I was adopted,” came the uncharacteristically curt reply. “No siblings.” He pointedly watched Artemis and Apollo mutually groom one another and snuggle into a ball.

_ Touchy subject, _ Hayun noted. “Never mind. I have a better idea. Tell me one thing you like, one thing you love, and one thing you hate. Off the top of your head.”

“I like you,” he responded almost instantly. It seemed to surprise him as well as her, and a watercolour flush bloomed on his cheeks quickly. “A-and when I’m alone with my Pokémon. I hate dishonesty,” he followed, though it was odd that he paired the statement with a small, unhappy smile. Then he looked up out the window again. “And I love the sky.”

Hayun grinned warmly, mirroring him by staring up at the constellations visible from this side of the building. The backs of her knuckles pressed against the glass, and, drawing in a small breath, she said: “I like the way Artemis and Apollo sleep by me at night, one side warm and one side cool…I like how Yurim is always by my side, ready to protect us all. I like to fly with Siren, tasting high winds and hearing her wings chime. I like you,” she looked up then, catching his pale teal gaze, “I like how gentle you are and your adorable friends.” 

Hayun reached over to Fern then, letting the Eevee smell her hand before stroking her just above the nose. Ray’s arms tensed on reflex, ready to protect his friend, but he swiftly relaxed at how easily Fern accepted the affection. “I dislike being controlled. And I love my father’s garden.” Hayun blinked out of the slight trance, giving an apologetic glance. “Sorry. Distracted.” 

Ray met her with a reverent expression. He looked positively enthralled, and she squirmed a bit. She’d never had trouble with an audience before, but this was so much more intimate. “There is such goodness in your words, Hayun.”

“I don’t know about goodness. I’ve seen enough of the darker side of trainers to know what truly matters about life with Pokémon. Battles are a wonderful spectacle, but the quiet industry of our companions throughout everyday society is what really matters.”

Ray nodded, running his hand from Fern’s head to the base of her tail smoothly. “I’d rather my Pokémon never battle again. They do so well to protect me, but we all much prefer to be in the garden. They deserve a peaceful life.”

Hayun grinned again. “I should expect as much from such a smart man.”

He grinned right back at her, seeming to gain a bit more self-esteem. “This is nice. I’m so happy that you’re interested in talking with me.” He paused in thought, and she gave him time. “Ah. It’s been a while since I’d said the word ‘happy’.”

Hayun’s brows knit together in compassion, but she couldn’t understand how he could be treated so poorly in his workplace. “I hope it happens more.” 

He didn’t respond, so she turned her gaze to patting Artemis calmly. She felt her senses fuzz out in her sleepy state, and changed the pattern she stroked her twin companions, catching Ray’s attention. Surely, he knew her history in challenging the region’s gyms when she was young. 

“I suppose you’d have found out from when I signed up for this thing, but I used to be a trainer. My Pokémon and I fought hard for my eight badges. Is that…is that ugly to you?”

Ray blinked hard and rapid with eyes wide. “Of course not!” he exclaimed in horror, and, despite it not really being so loud, he slapped a palm over his mouth.

“It’s okay,” Hayun said, feeling her fatigue catching up as she dug her fingertips into the muscles of her neck and shoulders to massage the tension out. “Battling and training is generally a respected profession, but not everyone likes it.”

“I don’t think it’s--” he started, cutting himself off.

Her brows rose. “Sorry?”

“Eight badges. That’s an amazing thing,” he continued with another honey-sweet smile. “It’s not ugly; it’s impressive, if anything. I don’t like battling, personally, but it is the way many people get strong. I’m not a very strong person.” 

Hayun nodded in understanding, unsure of how to respond. Ray was now slouching to embrace his Eevee in self-comfort, his chin resting between her ears. Under normal circumstances it would be adorable, but right now it was just concerning to her. A shiver from the coolness of the night wracked up her spine, and Ray noticed.

“It’s late. I should get back to work, and you should sleep,” he decided.

“You’re not going to go to bed?” she asked, betraying herself with a yawn.

Ray picked himself up off the windowsill, patting out his coat a little with a soft chuckle. “I’m more of a night owl, myself.” 

He watched as Hayun reached to wake the Vulpixes in her lap so she could move towards the bed. Artemis woke first, popping up her head in surprise with a low purr-like growl. Apollo was always slower to disturb, preferring to try and convince his trainer that she should just stay where she is. Ray’s Eevee alighted to his shoulders and curled around his neck, freeing his hands to offer some help. He turned his attention to Artemis. 

“Allow me?”

The Ice-type fox couldn’t resist his fine features and tender expression. While Hayun scooped up a stubbornly still Apollo in her arms, Artemis clambered into Ray’s black-gloved hands. He was painfully delicate with her, as expected, and the white-furred Vulpix let out a small and mellow howl of happiness. Hayun breathed a laugh, her shoulders shaking a bit as she and Ray shared a glance of affection over her small companion. Ray looked the most relaxed and genuinely pleased that she’d ever seen him, and suddenly she was struck with how she wanted to see it more.

Hayun climbed into the pink-quilted bed and deposited Apollo on the pillow she wasn’t going to use. Artemis followed shortly after, curling back up with her brother like two halves of a crescent moon. Fern crouched on Ray’s shoulders and peered at them carefully, perhaps a little fascinated by seeing Pokémon not unlike her in form. 

“You’re welcome to stay, Fern,” Hayun suggested. “Artemis and Apollo are the perfect cuddle-buddies.”

The Eevee’s long ears twitched back and she turned her head shyly, drawing closer to Ray’s neck and face. He hummed and petted her head. “Fern always sleeps in my lap while I’m working. But I’m sure she appreciates it. I hope that Yurim and Siren find their accommodations agreeable, as well?”

Indeed, the Flygon had already taken up a spot on a large floor cushion in the corner of the room closest to the bed, and the Sawsbuck stood vigil on the other side by the dresser. “Siren is spoiled rotten here,” Hayun mused as she watched her precious, green-striped desert dragon curl up like a sunbathing lizard and fold her wings down ever so precisely. “Yurim stands as he sleeps sometimes, especially the first night when we travel.”

“Very well. I hope you all have a good rest.” Ray placed a hand over his heart and bowed a little, making sure Fern wouldn’t lose her balance. Hayun grinned at the gesture, not sure if she should find it embarrassing or endearing. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he assured as she walked along the bed on her knees and crawled under the covers. 

“I look forward to it.”


	3. Day Two

Two things woke Hayun up in the wee hours of the morning. 

The first was Yurim shifting from sleeping upright to dragging the second flat floor cushion over to the edge of her bed and resting his head up by her side. She stroked his ears and the base of his antlers in a half-conscious daze, rolling onto her back and sighing through her nose. Yurim rumbled low in his throat, a sound he made when he was content and wished to comfort her.

The second disturbance was her phone vibrating under the pillow. It was a short, intense buzz that went off twice in quick succession, and she instantly realized while still refusing to open her eyes that the AI software of this game not only had amazing conversational skills, but also made decisions to occupy the chatroom depending on the characters choices. She rationalized that she could just ignore it, roll over, and go back to sleep without consequences, but a bolt of wakeful excitement struck through her. She didn’t want to miss out, nor did she want to let Ray down if she needed to test everything she could. She was an all-or-nothing sort of person.

Clutching the phone securely enough to prevent it from bashing her in the nose, Hayun lowered the brightness and opened the messenger app, her eyelashes sticking together as she blinked hard to read the most recent texts. Yoosung was upset that V wasn’t being very forthcoming about his location or activity, even going so far as to call him mean for not wanting to interact with his own Pokémon. He was obviously quite emotional, but that was understandable.

_ “I agree that staying away from one’s Pokémon only makes the pain worse,” _ she told him, trying to remain balanced.  _ “I don’t agree with the treatment. But perhaps for V, it is the only way he can process the pain.” _

Yoosung was rather insistent that it was irresponsible to do such a thing, not only for the group’s sake but also for his Pokémon. He claimed his Wooloo and Mareep could never handle so much isolation. Just then, Jaehee entered the conversation, mediating the youngest member’s reaction somewhat with her own experience. Her Pokémon were incredibly independent creatures, and perhaps V was doing what was best for his companion’s dispositions. It was entirely possible that he left them in someone else’s care. 

With that settled, Jaehee mentioned that she was finally just about to go to bed, having worked late into the night. After some of Yoosung’s probing, this was revealed to be quite unusual for the employees at her company, only she was Jumin’s personal assistant. She took her role incredibly seriously, but Hayun saw something all too familiar. That sense of obligation, giving one’s all based on other’s expectations. She had no doubt that Jaehee could be successful and accomplished through hard work but wondered if it was something the businesswoman truly wanted. Luckily, her Togetic was very helpful in organizing and stacking documents for her, which she happily showed a picture of. At the moment, her Polteageist was using Aromatherapy to calm her before sleep, a regular part of their routine.

For a few minutes, it seemed as though they had steered the conversation into a gentler direction, discussing Jumin’s odd conversational habits and upbringing. Yet, Yoosung swung things back around to complaining about V. To Hayun, it seemed that he was taking out his confusion around the circumstances of Rika’s death out on V. When she gently asked for more context, she was met with uncertainty. Yoosung had a hard time recovering the details, and V wasn’t talking about it much. It was sensitive, and the conservative Jaehee responded in kind, but Hayun was just as curious as Yoosung. Though, since she was still getting them all to trust her, she didn’t voice her ponderings in the chat.

Eventually, Jaehee managed to talk Yoosung down, telling him that Rika was so bright and worked so hard to raise money for human and Pokémon welfare alike and that she would be sad to see them breaking apart with doubts. Yoosung thanked her for the encouragement and excused himself to go to bed. His Wooloo was starting to pout from his sadness. Hayun complimented Jaehee on her ability to diffuse the situation.

_ “He was so heartbroken when she passed, I felt bad myself, watching him,” _ Jaehee texted, the messages coming a bit slower now.  _ “They were cousins, you know. She treated him like her own brother.” _

_ “Do you trust V, Jaehee?” _ Hayun asked, trying to frame the question neutrally.

_ “I had my doubts. But Mr. Han told us all to trust V, so I will. We can’t linger in the shadow of death forever, as cruel as that may sound…” _

_ “I agree,”  _ Hayun typed out, her throat growing a little tight in a manner she found uncomfortably familiar,  _ “but you can’t determine how people will mourn their loved ones. Sorrow is different for everyone, and also so much the same experience, too.” _

_ “You’re right. And the only one who can rid you of your sadness is yourself. We can only carry on.” _

Hayun’s thumbs lingered in front of the touch screen, swallowing hard. She wanted to say more but couldn’t find the words. Instead, she waited too long, and Jaehee began again.

_ “I’ve been talking too much. It’s time for bed.” _

_ “I’ll be going back to sleep, too.” _

_ “A fine idea. Goodnight, Hayun.” _

_“Goodnight, Jaehee.”_

She clicked her screen off and flopped the phone onto her belly, exhaling long and slow. Yurim’s ears flickered in the low moonlight from the noise, and he licked his velvety snout while inclining his head in concern. Hayun ran her fingertips up his antlers, carefully outlining the delicate pink blossoms rooted along them. 

“I’m alright,” she whispered, a hot tear running from the corner of her eye to her ear against the pillow. “I’ll be alright.” There was something odd about this game. The connection between complex AI and customizing Pokéballs to accommodate the social behaviours of isolated Pokémon, that she understood. The technology behind creating a restful, comforting environment for a Pokémon had a long and complex history, and innovations to give humanity’s most important companions the best life they could provide were an amazing thing. Yet, she did not expect this range of emotional depth from a game meant to test the extents of this AI software. It was beginning to become difficult to separate fantasy from reality. Was that a good thing, or merely cruel?

Hayun drifted back to dreams, listening to the soft breaths of her sleeping twin Vulpixes and the steady rise and fall of her Sawsbuck’s body. She didn’t wake again until shortly after seven to Apollo and Artemis play-fighting and gekkering next to her on the bed. Yurim was helping himself to the small trickling water dish provided to them, and Siren was perched on the windowsill, having pried open the shutter-frame glass panels to enjoy the breeze on her scales. Hayun checked her phone, finding herself behind on messages and with a missed call from the Jumin AI. Nothing from Ray. She did her best to suppress her disappointment.

Then Apollo had pinned Artemis to the quilt, clicking out short, sharp barks with ember sparks spitting from his mouth. Artemis’ breath chilled, coming out in puffs of stark white vapour as she chortled back at him, appearing unimpressed despite the type disadvantage. She was never afraid of her brother’s heat. 

Hayun snapped her fingers and gave them a dangerous look. “Enough, you two.” Her voice was stern, but not mean. “No rough-housing on stuff that doesn’t belong to us. Save it for the training room later, got it?”

They broke apart, grumbling a little at the unsettled match. 

The ex-trainer threw off the covers and gave a big stretch in the early spring morning light with a groan. She was naturally an early riser from all the work back at the daycare, so this was practically like sleeping in. With a pop to the bones in her neck, she announced: “Alright, you lot! Bathroom, brushes, and breakfast for everyone.”

The two fox Pokémon were easy enough to toilet train, but the larger of her Pokémon presented a different challenge. Back at the nursery and daycare, they had a very structured system for that less charming aspect of Pokémon upbringing, but here, she was relieved to see that there were facilities for her elk and dragon friends down the hall. Not only that, but also full bathing and drying stalls for all sorts of species and types. Siren was utterly delighted by the small sand bath, while Yurim resigned to being brushed by his trainer in an attempt to keep some sense of familiarity. 

While brushing with one hand, Hayun caught up with the chatroom’s messages from much earlier that morning. It started with Jumin writing aloud his thoughts regarding Yoosung’s doubts about V and how little they knew about Hayun herself. She wondered how things could’ve been different if she had been there to reassure him a little. Eventually, the leader of the RFA himself made it a conversation, and the two men discussed their long childhood friendship, playfully teasing one another. Both clearly came from very privileged places, but curiously, V was the only one who was allowed to have Pokémon at a young age. He never went on a coming-of-age journey, but the pictures of his young Swablu and Riolu were cavity inducing.

Once Jumin had excused himself from the chat ever so politely, V began reminiscing on his own, and expressed to everyone that he intended to keep them together for the sake of what they all believed in. He saw it as his duty, and Hayun was hit with a pang of compassion. She still had so many questions about this mystery she was tasked with unravelling, but the complexity of his character was captivating and sympathetic. Eventually, however, she had to return to the real world.

The hall that Hayun had complete access to was quite quiet; she’d only seen Ray, the two personnel that delivered food, and one other with a Munna who walked by with paperwork as she returned to her room with Yurim and Siren. She helped tide their hunger over with a small berry snack from her bag, then sat back at the small table in the centre of the bright room. Two short buzzes alerted her to new chat activity, and she entered as quickly as she could manage. Apollo leapt up into her lap, blinking at the screen curiously as the wallpaper of the chatroom displayed disjunct code in green against a black background. 

V was the only one there, according to the log, but the sudden change in the app’s appearance set Hayun on edge. It was the same thing she saw when she was first ‘patched in’ to the game or when Ray spoke with her directly, but she had assumed it was just an aesthetic choice. Was this all part of the narrative, an unfinished scenario, or a bug? When she asked if it was indeed Ray, V only asked her who that was, if it was the name of her friend and she had made a mistake. 

He then started asking about what she thought of the RFA members since she had spoken with all of them the day previous, but something was off. The cadence of the man’s messages was different than the previous day, and the phrasing was a little odd. Hayun remained alert but strangely delighted, her Pokémon reacting to her increasing tension by drawing closer.

When he asked if she thought they were stupidly naïve, that’s when she realized what was happening. He referred to the others as ‘those members’ and how they were ‘like machines’, and suddenly it clicked. This  _ was _ Ray. He said they had so much to learn, that he wanted to lead them to the party that she would organize so they could become even better. 

V’s smiling emote made her freeze up.  _ “Let me give you some advice. Don’t trust us too much.” _

_ Huh, _ Hayun thought. Was he giving her a hint about the mystery of the game?  _ “Does this mean I should ask more? I’m curious,”  _ she asked.

_ “Curiosity is always welcome. You should ask what the RFA truly is.” _

Hayun paused for a long while, and the log stopped as he fell silent for now.  _ What is the RFA? _ What they appeared to be on the surface was a collection of like-minded individuals all gathered around the centrepiece, Rika. They were floundering, scrambling without her, but they still had sight of what they cared about. One another. Pokémon welfare. Was that enough?

The chat started moving again, drawing her gaze in once more. Ray had finally popped up with his own profile picture of the think tank’s logo, the Mint Eye. He seemed so pleased to surprise her, even though she had caught on. His joy was so infectious that she couldn’t help but play along. 

_ “Tada!”  _ he wrote with an emphatic speech bubble. “ _ Aha, were you surprised?” _

Hayun grinned ear-to-ear.  _ “You really gave me a scare! That was you all along? It was like an illusion from a Zoroark.” _

He was ecstatic to have fooled her, even using one of his cute little emotes to show her so. He promised he wouldn’t butt in like this too much while she was actually talking to the game’s characters, and then greeted her good morning. An image of his Roselia, Adora, sunning herself in a nice open room was sent. Fern, his Eevee, was nearby, munching on a Bluk berry, and Lily, the Alcremie, was dozing on his knee just in frame. Apollo chirped a soft, high bark in recognition of Fern, happily swaying his six curled tails in unison. Hayun giggled and gave him a scratch behind the ears. 

_ “Did you sleep well last night?” _ Ray asked shortly after.

_ “I slept very well, and so did my Pokémon. The room is lovely, and I think they’re really starting to like it here,”  _ Hayun replied, her smile still broad as she typed as quickly as she could.  _ “How did you sleep, Ray?” _

_ “Actually, not very well…I was so worried about whether you’d like my game,” _ he admitted.  _ “But don’t worry, just watching Fern sleep makes me feel rested. I’m so glad you like it here, I was worried you’d feel trapped on that floor.”  _ She was about to deny it by telling him how accommodating everything was, but he continued quickly:  _ “I made brunch for you. It turned out so well I thought I’d give you a sneak peak.” _

Another picture was uploaded with the most delicious-looking plate of sausages and fried eggs, buttered sliced bread and a glass of mixed berry juice next to it.  _ “I hope you like it!”  _ He sent her the same heart emote as before, the one that showed a chibi version of him kissing his blue rose. Hayun felt a slight blush creep into her face. 

She complimented his culinary skills, which seemed to make him even more delighted. He talked about having to feed himself from a young age, even before he had his own Pokémon, but she was the first of their guests he had cooked for. Hayun wondered if that was perhaps why he didn’t want to talk about his family. He said he was adopted; maybe he was orphaned young.

_ “I’ve got lots for your friends, too. I’ll come deliver it myself,”  _ he told her, making the warmth in her face only increase.  _ “I was going to leave you alone to play the game, but I really wanted to see you. Speaking of which, do you like it?” _

_ “It’s so much fun,”  _ she said truthfully, raising her hand from petting Apollo to type two-handed again.  _ “I can’t wait to discover all the secrets.” _

_ “That’s right, you know exactly what’s important,” _ he praised.  _ “Did you notice how the V character is hiding something? Perhaps he doesn’t trust you yet…” _ Another emote, this one of him huffing with a displeased expression.  _ “If you get closer to him, he might tell you what the others have been burning to know.” _

_ “It’s really complicated…but I don’t often back down from a challenge!” _

_ “A trainer with eight badges? I wouldn’t expect you to give up easily. It’s one of the reasons why I chose you! I added lots of elements to the game…you have no idea what I’ve gone through to get to this point.”  _ One of Hayun's brows quirked up as she took interest. Did Ray have to fight with his superiors to prove he could handle this project?  _ “Not that you need to worry about that!”  _ he quickly corrected.  _ “I just want you to enjoy this thing I’ve poured my soul into.” _

_ “It’s so impressive and for a very good cause,”  _ Hayun observed, leaning back in her chair a little. Apollo padded further up her torso, his paws kneading against her stomach like a Purrloin. Artemis hopped onto her knees just then, sniffing about with interest.  _ “You’re really warm-hearted, you know that?” _

_ “Really?”  _ he asked, seeming so astonished that he stopped typing for a moment. Hayun worried she said something wrong, or maybe that he took it in a different way, but eventually he carried on.  _ “No one’s ever told me that before. My guardians always scolded me when I was young.” _

_ There it is,  _ Hayun thought. It was partially what she suspected all along. His gentle manners, his doubts about himself, his eagerness to please her almost to the point of fear. It wasn’t uncommon in others she had met whose parents or caretakers found them to be a nuisance. Finally having it confirmed just made her angry and protective.

_ “Thank you for saying that, Hayun. I’d like to always be warm-hearted to you.” _

She tipped the phone to rest its top edge along her forehead, closing her eyes to steady a breath of embarrassment and bashfulness. No one had ever been so sweet to her so quickly, it was somewhat disorienting. Sure, there had been a couple folks who would flirt or even ask for her number, but this was on a whole other level. He wasn’t even being explicitly romantic, it was just so tender and well-meaning that her heart ached.

_ “Oh…oh no…”  _ Ray messaged.  _ “I’d love to talk more, but I have so much work to catch up on. Sorry to leave like this. Once I bring your meal, I’ll have to stay in the development room all day by myself.” _

Hayun’s brows scrunched up with concern.  _ “Really? Not even with your Pokémon for company?” _

_ “If I’m working really hard, they can be a bit diverting. Sometimes I get in trouble for having them out.” _

_ “That doesn’t seem fair!” _ she protested.  _ “And yours have such nice natures, surely they aren’t a bother.” _

_ “But those are the rules,”  _ Ray explained.  _ “I have to work hard on this little gift for someone. Give this guy a scare. Or a distraction.” _

_ “Who for?” _

_ “Top secret,”  _ he hushed in little letters.  _ “Ah, talking like this makes me want to see you more. I’ll be there soon, before your breakfast gets cold.” _

Hayun couldn’t help but grin again.  _ “I’ll be waiting for you.” _

He gave one last rose-kiss emote before logging out, leading her back to the chatroom’s regular sky background, alone. She clicked off her phone, finding herself nearly horizontal in her seat as she slouched at the table, her Vulpixes now curled up like little bread rolls on her stomach and lap. Siren paced up behind her to rest her head on the back of the chair, chittering quietly in amusement. It seems she was teasing the young woman.

“What?” Hayun asked the Flygon, tilting her head just enough to give a sidelong glance into a red-shielded eye. “Don’t look so smug.”

Siren chortled low, a hiccupping sort of noise that bobbed the column of her throat. She was definitely teasing.

Hayun did her best to brush off the dragon’s mockery, but once she shooed her twin foxes off her and stood to stretch, she didn’t know what to do with herself. Not entirely sure when Ray would arrive, she didn’t want to leave to give her companions and herself some exercise in the training room. 

There was no need to wait long, but the knock on her door was rapid and harsh, nothing like the soft and quiet raps he used before. Perhaps he was just excited to see her, just as she was to see him. Hayun practically darted to the door to let him in, but her bright smile faded when she saw the same sharply dressed woman from yesterday with the meal cart. 

“Ah,” Hayun slipped out, unable to subdue her disappointment. “I’m sorry. I thought you were Ray. Please come in.” She turned aside to let the woman in, her Pokémon already gathering in expectation of their breakfast.

“Mr. Ray is very busy,” the woman relayed somewhat robotically. Hayun noticed that she had a very similar washed aqua blue eye colour as Ray, but assumed it was a coincidence. Still, it was funny, since the think tank’s name was Mint Eye. The employee seemed to flinch a little at Yurim, but otherwise remained professional. “I’ll collect your dishes later,” she excused herself, nodding her head in respect and disappearing behind the door. 

Hayun sighed and took her seat. Her appetite was somewhat staunched by the let-down, but she knew they all needed a good meal before burning off some steam. Artemis and Apollo looked up from their bowls of kibble and berries and whined a bit at her dampened mood. Siren drew closer with a dried meat chew in one talon-grip, fluttering her wings to make some soothing chimes sing out from them.

“We’ll see Ray again,” Hayun reassured, more to herself than them. “Maybe he’ll bring Fern or Adora to play.”

Artemis and Apollo seemed very pleased by that, and Yurim hummed to express his approval of the idea. 

Thoroughly sated but not too stuffed, Hayun brought them all to the training room a couple doors down. No one was attending it, but she had no intention of using the simulation technology this time. In its default mode, it acted like a typical gym, with equipment for them to push around if they so desired. Siren was particularly excited to give her best shot at destroying the punching bag in the far corner, though it was designed to be much too tough. Artemis and Apollo had a healthy competition of who was better at catching the high-speed bouncy ball Hayun brought with them and whipped against the walls. They shot after it every time, even running up along the walls to get the upper paw or turn on a dime. Yurim, true to his relaxed nature, wasn’t much for sprinting about, but he took to trotting laps at a comfortable pace with weights slung along his back. 

The Ice- and Fire-type foxes had begun testing who could leap up farther onto the fake climbing tree, so Hayun decided it was time to practice her bareback riding on Yurim and Siren. Flygons were not only fast, but dextrous, curling and twisting their lithe bodies in whatever manner pleased them, and anyone on their backs had to deal with it. Normally, however, they were used to big open and barren landscapes to glide for hours, but they didn’t have that luxury at the moment. Instead, Hayun set on her flying goggles and climbed up onto her green-striped dragon, her knees squeezing Siren about the ribs and arms around the base of her neck, giving full freedom of movement to her wings. About fifteen minutes of working on tight flying patterns and raising her tolerance for being upside-down, Hayun switched over to run Yurim hard, setting a full gallop for jumps around the circuit of the training room for as long as he could stand it.

Thoroughly sweating through her clothes, Hayun walked her Pokémon back to her room, finding the dishes of their breakfast cleared away and the table with a new cloth. 

“You all did so well,” she cooed encouragingly, stroking the side of Yurim’s neck and patting firmly. They weren’t utterly exhausted, but certainly still panting off the heat. Artemis made a b-line for the bathtub in the washroom, immediately hopping in and coating the bottom with a thin sheet of frost with Ice Beam to sprawl across. It was something she did often during summer heatwaves. Contrary to what most would think, Ice-type Vulpixes did in fact have warm internal body temperatures, but their thick fur used for keeping out the snow and cold often caused them to overheat when not deep in the mountains. Apollo seemed to revel in the warmth, but he was still tired enough to lie across the dry scales of Siren’s back as they took a nap together. 

Hayun padded onto the cool tile of the bathroom, giving a sympathetic look to her sweet little ice fox. Artemis had relaxed again, now grooming the fur at the base of her tails. “I’ve gotta take a shower, you know,” the ex-trainer told her, pointing to the small stall at the other side of the room. “It’ll get steamy. You staying?”

Artemis used Ice Beam again to replenish the chill under her, causing even Hayun’s breath to fog up for a moment. 

“Alright, suit yourself. Be right back, you guys!” she called to the other three. She smiled at seeing Yurim already by the window to continue enjoying the breeze before closing the door for some privacy.

Cleaning off the sweat and working shampoo to a lather on her head, Hayun was relieved that her frigid companion didn’t lower the temperature of the bathroom to the point that her now water-soaked hair would freeze. A comfortable pair of light, high-waisted jeans with a dark purple long-sleeved shirt tucked in set her straight, and she shook her head quickly to strip off any water droplets in her hair she missed. Yurim was standing nearby at the time and he gave her a dirty look as some of the water fell on him. 

“What?” Hayun asked with a cheeky grin. “You do the same thing after a swim, you goof. Don’t pass judgment here.”

Yurim exhaled sharply through his nostrils indignantly, and she chuckled.

A double buzz from her phone made Hayun jump, but she was quick to do what she came here for. This time, it was only 707 in the chatroom, hogging the chat log with long strings of exasperated emotes and disjointed words. After asking him to slow down, he apologized and explained that he had another hacker by the name of ‘Godhacker’ go after him online. He wondered if his work ethic had become lax, or if he had provoked it by messing with other less-than-reputable types on the internet. He resolved to be the best hacker he possibly could, which was when Jaehee popped in.

She was not tolerating his ridiculous plans to get selfies from various prominent figureheads of different regions, though it made Hayun bark out a laugh aloud. Jaehee sternly encouraged him to be a bit more diligent in protecting the other members of the RFA, but 707 denied that, saying it was his own personal server that was attacked. Hayun paused as she watched them continue to exchange messages, wondering how this was relevant to the plot of the game. Even more curious, she’d just noticed that Jaehee called him ‘Luciel’. So, he did have a name beyond the moniker. 

Luciel was about to leave again to work on his exposed servers when he stopped to ask Jaehee if she’d learned anything from her research on Hayun. She apparently had not found out much, which was expected for a game, though she did want to know what Luciel had learned in his own search. Hayun wondered if he would ever reveal that, or if it would be kept ambiguous for the sake of the game. He said he didn’t know much, but was that actually the truth?

Luciel speculated that the hacker who was attacking him now might be the same that let Hayun into the messenger in the first place.  _ Now we’re getting somewhere, _ she thought, sharpening her senses for the advancement of the plot. Deciding to push the envelope, Hayun tipped her hand slightly, curious about how the AIs would react.

_ “He calls himself a ‘Developer’,” _ she said.

Luciel suddenly seemed to recognize this and was out of the chat before they knew it. As Jaehee continued to talk to her, Hayun dropped herself onto the edge of her bed.  _ Huh. _ Either she did something perfectly right, or very, very wrong. Her stomach flipped with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. They chatted for a bit longer about Jaehee’s work stresses, but when the secretary mentioned how grateful she was that V was logging in more again, Hayun pushed for more.

_ “I don’t mean to be rude, but can we all really rely on him? Everyone thinks so highly of him, but I don’t have much context. Is he worthy of such trust?” _

_ “Yes,” _ Jaehee answered immediately.  _ “He’s weighed down by his grief, but he is a good man.” _

They eventually said their goodbyes, and she was once again left with nothing but her Pokémon and her thoughts. Artemis had returned from the bathroom and nudged against her side with a cute little cry. Hayun carefully picked her up and cradled her like a baby in her arms, tickling the Vulpix’s belly with a little smirk. 

“Such a strange thing, Artemis,” she said, prompting the ice fox’s ears to perk up inquisitively. “It feels so real. Is this sort of technology really possible? Can you write an algorithm to make a good man so secretive in his grief? It seems too human to be made.”

Her phone buzzed again, this time repeatedly and at a steady pace. It was 707, or Luciel, but she hesitated for a moment before pressing the receive button. “Hey,” she answered casually, still a little unnerved, and pinched the device between her ear and shoulder to continue carrying Artemis properly. 

“Hey, quick question,” he said, his voice lacking any playful aspect she’d expected. “Did you speak with Zen this morning? Or see him in the chatroom?”

She hummed. “Uhm, no. You think there’s something wrong?”

“That’s what I’m worried about, yeah. This is so unlike him…normally he can’t wait to talk about himself or at least tell us he’s busy with work. I’ll wait it out for now, but…” He trailed off for a bit, but Hayun didn’t want to interrupt him working through his thoughts. “Have you ever had this happen to you? Some friend just drops off the face of the earth over the line?”

That’s when Hayun realized that V hadn’t told  _ anyone _ how she’d claimed to have met Rika. If Luciel knew her made-up story about how she’d met Rika online until the leader’s untimely suicide, he probably would not have asked such a question. “U-Uh,” she stuttered, mentally scrambling to find the next best option. “You know, I guess I don’t have a lot of online friends. Never thought about that too much.” It wasn’t even a lie.

Luciel took it completely into stride. “Hm. I just wonder what the procedure is for this sort of thing,” he speculated. “Do I wait? Do I go see him in person?”

“If I were you, I’d wait a little longer and then visit,” she suggested, frowning a bit in equal puzzlement. It was a strange situation, to be sure.

“You’re the active type, like me. But what if I miss him? That’d just be a waste of time.” She was starting to gather that Luciel was the kind of person who over-thought everything when he was anxious. It was interesting, since he normally seemed so carefree. “I hate waiting around like this. I’ll just start hacking the devices in his apartment.” Seemed like a drastic jump, but it was his area of expertise. “Maybe his electricity use will tell me something…thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah, sure, bye—” Hayun forced out, thoroughly flustered as the line cut off. She shook off the bewilderment, not used to being so confused. His antsy energy was affecting her, she supposed, but it was still really amazing that his voice inflexions and attitude could be so varied and realistic. It had gone from astonishing to weirdly disturbing. If this sort of thing could really be made, how would everyone’s perceived reality be affected? Was this ambition dangerous?

For the time being, she placed it out of her mind and tried to relax as much as possible. Setting the phone aside, Hayun flipped open her notepad to the more recent page and resumed doodling roses and little cartoon versions of Ray’s Pokémon. She wasn’t exactly a skilled artist, but she had a fun style and understood proportions well enough. She wished that she had a blue pencil to colour it like the flower on his lapel. Perhaps she wouldn’t admit it to her Pokémon, but she’d really begun to look forward to seeing Ray even more than playing the game.

Siren and Apollo slept off their post-workout fatigue on the dragon’s floor bed in the corner while Yurim stood vigil by the window, Artemis on the sill, gazing out into the garden below. Hayun tilted her head to gaze at them for a while, a twinge of sympathy pulling at her heartstrings.

“I know you miss Dad’s garden,” she sighed quietly, careful not to wake up the other pair. “Ray might bring us there sometime, and you can enjoy the flowers. Besides, we won’t be here forever.”

Yurim craned his head to blink at her, then bobbed in acknowledgement. For a long while, they were all quiet, replenishing their energy for the rest of the day. Siren had shuffled to lying on her back, holding the warm and fuzzy Apollo to her stomach with her small arms. Hayun snuck in a picture and saved it to her very large gallery of cute Pokémon photos. Maybe she would show it to Ray, or the group. Suddenly she paused, mind spacing out. Would the game recognize an image? Was she allowed to send one? She tested it out, but no dice. It wouldn’t let her upload photos. Likely, they hadn’t made the technology to do that just yet.

At some point, Hayun dozed off while lounging on the bed, but hardly noticed how long it had been until a sharp knock came at her door. She bolted upright, snatching her phone to check the time. 11:56. Taking a couple seconds to make sure her hair wasn’t sticking up in an odd way, she answered the door, finding it was lunch delivery. Another rigid exchange with a different employee of the building, and they were left alone. It was delicious, as always, but things didn’t get interesting until another double buzz lit up her phone. 

Holding the spoon from her soup in her mouth to open up the app, she sparked to life in delight that it was Ray sitting alone in the chatroom, likely waiting for her. The same background of disjointed green code rolled back the curtain to his messages. 

_ “Hayun, I’m sorry I couldn’t visit. I really wanted to. Did you enjoy your lunch?” _

That familiar heartache struck her from the unkept promise he made to see her, but more so for the regret and guilt he seemed to feel over it.  _ “I’m eating lunch right now. How come you couldn’t see me?” _

_ “I’ve been in the development room all day,”  _ he explained.

Hayun’s brows twitched down in irritation. He said he wasn’t even often allowed to have his Pokémon with him in there. The injustice of it burned her. Though to some it would seem like an insignificant thing, she’d seen how he interacted with them. He adored his companions, and he couldn’t work with them for it being a ‘distraction’. It probably only made things worse. 

_ “Have you eaten lunch, too?” _ she asked, deciding to prioritize that instead of possibly making him distressed over being away from his Pokémon. 

_ “Huh? Oh, um…no. I was too busy.”  _ There was a little pause before he continued.  _ “People don’t usually ask me that. It makes me feel…happy.” _

Hayun bit down on her spoon and scowled further. Just how ragged was he being run by this company?  _ “I lost my appetite hearing that…” _ she said honestly.  _ “You deserve to have good meals if you’re working so hard.” _

_ “No, don’t lose your appetite over me! I’ll go eat, I promise, but don’t wait up for me. You’re far too precious to this project.” _

_ You’re the developer, _ Hayun thought, her protective instinct flaring again. It was different from the feeling she got from looking after the baby Pokémon in the nursery. This was something more emotional, more ferocious. It wasn’t about protecting the young or the cute or the injured, it was about protecting someone she started to care about. Someone who she knew deserved more.

_ “To be honest, I haven’t always been working on the game. People come to me to fix all kinds of problems, so that’s why I’m busy all the time,”  _ Ray relayed.  _ “I wish I could take better care of you.” _

Hayun placed her spoon back into the bowl and leaned forward in her seat to text with a bit more precision.  _ “You’ve done a wonderful job, and you’re clearly very talented and important to the company.” _

_ “That’s right. I have to do lots of things to show how useful and worthy I am.”  _ That wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.  _ “Say, you and your Pokémon aren’t too bored, are you? You haven’t been outside yet.” _

_ “No, not yet, but Yurim really wants to go.” _

Ray sent a picture of himself standing by a thicket of orange roses in full bloom. They were so lustrous and healthy looking, and he looked more at peace than she’d ever seen him. His Roselia, Adora, was perched on his shoulder, smiling brightly and completely in her element. Hayun twisted to show the photo to her Sawsbuck, who bobbed his head again in excitement about the garden.

_ “I took this a few days before you came. I hope we can walk through it together…maybe have a garden party, just the two of us and our Pokémon, with lots of sweets and berries. We can have ice cream when it’s hot and tea when it gets cold.” _ He sent that rose emote again, and Hayun felt her fingertips grow warm.

_ “That sounds wonderful. I bet Adora and Yurim would really get along since they are the same type. And when it’s hot, we can share Artemis on our laps, and do the same with Apollo when it’s cold.” _ She was already starting to picture it, and really liking the image.

_ “I’ll prepare your favourite snacks. I guess we haven’t had the time to get to know each other much, but I’d like to tell you my favourites and hear what yours are. If it’s okay with you, that is. I can’t wait to make all those memories!” _

Hayun swallowed hard on her next mouthful of soup. Her hunger had returned at the happier turn of conversation, but now her fingers were positively tingling from all the sweet attention he gave her. She’d never met anyone so open about wanting to spend time with her and her Pokémon before. Honestly, he seemed more interested in her in that equation, and it was rather disorienting. Was he so innocent that it wasn’t meant to be romantic, or did he know exactly what he was doing? Or maybe she was just reading into it too much. After all, you could be close to anyone without being romantic.

_ “I didn’t interrupt you playing, did I?”  _ he inquired suddenly, breaking her from a slight trance. 

She didn’t even think very hard about what she was typing until it was sent.  _ “No, but I like to talk to you more, anyway.” _

_ “Really? You meant it?”  _ He was so astonished, and she wanted to reassure him.  _ “I’m kind of scared I’ll lose you to those AIs…those characters.”  _

Hayun squinted. They weren’t real, why would he be frightened of that? Perhaps he was worried that she only cared about the game’s testing? 

_ “They are important to me, but I like you more, too. Not a lot of people believe in me like you do. But is it keeping you entertained? They’re still buggy, and I’m worried they’ll make you bored or hurt you…I’m worried you’ll lose interest in the game.” _

Ray sent an emote of him tearing up, and Hayun let out a little cooing breath of sympathy.  _ “I’m not bored! It’s so cool, and I get to talk to you.” _

_ “Talking to you is the happiest part of my day now. I prefer seeing you in person, but…this is good, too. You know, when that redhead A.I. talked to you, he started yammering and asking you questions, that’s a bug. When V lies, that’s a bug, too.” _

Hayun frowned with a mixture of confusion and surprise. Those were just character quirks to make them more realistic and complex, or so she thought. Was that all really not supposed to happen? Before she could inquire, he went on.

_ “The others have bugs, too, but those two are the worst. It’s all rubbish.” _

_ “It’s really convincing for a bunch of rubbish…I thought it was to make them more accurate to real people.” _

_ “Yeah, I suppose real people spew rubbish that’s convincing all the time, but that doesn’t mean they are right.” _ She tilted her head. He  _ did _ have a point. Sometimes people really were like that. _ “Anyway, don’t listen even when they tell you to trust them. It’s not real, anyway. I made it all up, and I guess that makes me greater than all their rubbish!” _

Hayun realized that maybe this was his way of coping with how the others at his workplace treated him.  _ “I suppose it does,”  _ she acknowledged. 

Ray seemed very pleased, using his clapping emote this time.  _ “I knew you’d understand. Uncovering all their secrets is what will make us feel less empty! Oh, I have to go now. Someone very important needs my progress report. I hope you get to meet them someday, too. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done, okay?” _

_ “Yes, of course. I’m really looking forward to speaking with you again. Oh,”  _ Hayun paused to try and upload the image of Siren and Apollo sleeping together again. This time, it did go through.  _ “I thought this would make you smile. Good luck with your work, Ray!” _

_ “It’s so cute…I wish I could be there. But good luck with your testing! Bye.” _

He was gone before she could offer another farewell. Hayun shut off her phone and returned to her soup, eating even slower now that she had much to think about. Her heart was still fluttering from keeping up with his fast texts, but the mixture of emotions she was getting from his words threw her off. One minute, he talked like his AIs were people, and the next, they were back to fiction. Could her concerns about twisting reality be genuinely a worry? Had Ray, in his loneliness, conflated his creations with real people?

Either way, it was clear the man had some personal problems. These secret headquarters of the think tank were as isolated as it got, and maybe this job was everything he could hold onto. She hoped that he’d open up a bit more, at least to get some of the stress off his shoulders. It could be he wasn’t standing up for himself, but then again, no one should have to be pushed around in their workplace to begin with.

Later, Jaehee called her and spoke about something so charmingly mundane, it was a refreshing change of pace. The rest of her afternoon was spent playing and talking with her Pokémon and testing more stages of the game. Within that time, V had decided to make her a member of this RFA organization, imploring everyone to trust her, as he and Luciel had a handle on it, and she was once an acquaintance of Rika’s. Secondly, he announced that the third of their fundraising parties would be held and planned by her, though he hadn’t chosen a date. Hayun, for her part, was grateful, but she’d remembered what Ray said about trusting the characters too easily. She was even more on her guard but decided to approach the task of inviting guests with interest and conviction. 

Jumin had become fascinated with same-day delivery and continued his collection of rare and strange volumes of books at Jaehee’s request. Most were on topics of old legends of great dragon Pokémon or ancient religions and types of magic practices. Yoosung jumped in to cast his doubts about human and Pokémon mythical creatures alike, but Jumin was keeping an open and inquisitive mind. It was rather an amusing interaction, but Hayun still found her thoughts wandering back to when Ray would get the chance to visit her again. All the same, they gave interesting guest recommendations, and she got to work sending politely worded invitations to them through the app.

Yoosung, however, had clung to his suspicions about V, and was only discouraged by Jumin’s suggestion that it was perhaps because of his lack of life experience or understanding of the group’s leader. The younger man lingered even as Jumin left, expressing how much he wished for Rika to enter the chat and tell him it was all a dream. Again, Hayun felt that familiar lump in her throat return just as it had the night before, and she clenched her jaw to keep from getting carried away. Before he left, all she could manage was:  _ “You’re stronger than you know.” _ She had no way of knowing if he’d listened.

After a light dinner, she decided to explore the last room of the floor she had access to and was completely taken aback to find a full stocked and rather various library. It had everything from Shakespeare to quantum physics, but almost all the books hardly had their spines cracked. Judging by the dust particles lit up by the setting sun and Apollo’s sneeze, it had been quite some time since the room had even been touched.

“Keep an eye on your brother, Artemis,” Hayun warned with a little grin. “No sparks near the books, little man,” she added to Apollo. He shook his pelt to brush off the urge, head curls wiggling from the action. 

While Hayun perused the arts section rather casually, Luciel started chattering away in the chat room, and even gave her a guest recommendation. Shortly after their goofing off together, V joined in, right as Luciel shared a detailed photo of stars and nebulas in the night sky. V had taken it for him, and Hayun guessed if Rayquaza was the young hacker’s favourite dragon legend. He confirmed it with enthusiasm. The two men were discussing the plans for the party and Luciel’s concern about the timing since both the messenger and his servers were hacked, and now Zen was offline. She understood his concern, but as soon as V was about to make a point, he slipped off the chatroom without saying goodbye. Luciel supposed something came up to take the photographer away, resolving to start really tracking Zen down in the leader’s absence.

Not ten seconds after saying goodbye to him, Hayun heard a swift line of footsteps in the hall pass by the closed library door. She turned and sharpened up her ears but didn’t yet have the will to move and betray her position. Yurim had returned to the bedroom and Siren didn’t bother to look at the library at all, leaving her with only Artemis and Apollo. The two Vulpixes stood alert at their trainer’s reaction, listening just as carefully to the activity outside. 

Barely audible voices resounded from behind the door, making her flinch a bit. A captivating curiosity pulled her towards the entrance to the library, itching to hear more. There had never been more than one person at a time in her hallway, and even then, not very often. Hayun removed her shoes to pad almost silently across the cool hardwood floor and pressed her ear up against the door.

“—more devout than anyone else. Saviour really is something.”

“Where is the saviour, by the way?” There was something familiar about this second man’s voice, but she couldn’t quite place it; it was too muffled to make out detail.

“Often in the information room, working closely with Mr. Ray on something important. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, we’re…preparing for a regular ceremony soon. If anything happens, I need to know where to report.” This second voice seemed unsure and quiet.

“Hmm. A306. You’ve been leaving often, and your mind seems to be wandering…you’re not seeking corruption, are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then do not forget your ceremony, or to pray. Perhaps recite the prayer you had with the saviour.” 

Hayun’s eyes widened more with each passing sentence. What were they talking about? At first, it sounded like nonsense, then like some sort of code. But what reason would they have to speak in such a way unless they meant it? The last thought she had was  _ cult. _ It was no secret that strange groups gathered in various regions to plot some grand ambition for humanity. Team Rocket, Magma, Galactic, Plasma…but this was something she’d never encountered personally.  _ What have you gotten yourself into, Hayun? _ she scolded internally. 

“Thank you for the advice; I’ll keep that in mind,” the second voice continued. He sounded just as apprehensive as she felt.

“I have to go and finish preparing for the ceremony.”

Thinking they would part and recede from the hallway, Hayun began to relax again, but that was soon interrupted.

“Wait. Out of my way, you all.”  _ That _ voice she recognized. It was the tenor of Ray, currently much flatter and commanding, though it still possessed a delicate manner. His steps drew closer, raising her heckles in alarm until she was almost certain he was directly in front of her, only separated by the meager inches of the wooden library door.

“Oh…yes.”

“I don’t want these flowers in ruins,” Ray stated simply, though he sounded more impatient than mean. “They’re for someone precious.” Her face warmed.  _ He’s talking about me, isn’t he?  _ The other two men let him through, though not before he questioned the uncertain one for a moment. It sounded as if Ray had recognized him, but couldn’t place it, not unlike how Hayun felt about the man’s voice. A chill ran down her spine at the coincidence. Artemis padded up to her feet and tilted her head quizzically, but Hayun lifted a finger to her lips silently and shook her head.

At last, they parted ways, with a muttered, “For eternal paradise.”

Hayun waited until their steps nearly disappeared before she finally exhaled in a rush. A click of the door down the hall let her know that Ray had entered her room, presumably to deliver flowers, leaving her with very mixed feelings. She tried to organize them, sliding along the door to sit on the floor with her loyal foxes at her side. Petting them always calmed her, and after a few seconds she managed to think straight.

_ Part one: _ this Mint Eye think tank must have been a front for…some form of cult. Or, if it wasn’t a cult, it was definitely a very weird workplace social hierarchy that likely violated some form of human rights laws.

_ Part two: _ Ray had a significant position of authority over the other people there, or at least, the people she just heard. Yet, nothing he’d told her or shared regarding his feelings was a lie. If there was one skill she had, it was being able to tell when someone was faking an emotion. There must have been more going on between him and his superior. Judging by title, it was probably this ‘saviour’ they spoke of.

_ Part three: _ the AI algorithm Ray had designed for her to test was most assuredly not for Pokémon and human welfare. Maybe he’d been tricked into thinking it was, but she knew how this worked. Cults usually only served the leader’s desires, not anyone else’s. If the reports from other regions were any indication, it was likely that they wanted to tip the entire structure of society on its ear.

_ Part four: _ she should probably nope out of there as quickly as physically possible. Her Pokémon were strong; even if she had to fight her way out, it was possible. But…she was stubborn. Too many unanswered questions meant she had to see this through. She couldn’t just let this go. Besides, if she broke out, where would that leave Mint Eye? Would anyone believe her about this place? They’d probably relocate in a blink, and she’d never have the chance to learn more or maybe even take them down from the inside. And besides, where would it leave  _ Ray? _

It was obvious that Ray had placed Hayun under his protection. She was  _ important _ , for whatever reason. If she kept her head on straight, she might even be able to dig him out of all this mess. She meant what she said. Ray was a warm-hearted man, and he certainly didn’t deserve the treatment he alluded to receiving from his superiors.

Hayun glanced down at her two fuzzy friends and sighed, petting them both at the same time. “I’ve really gotten us in a mess this time,” she whispered to them, feeling very overwhelmed. “But I know what I have to do. At least, I’ve got an idea. We’ve gotten through worse, right?”

The question was left in the air, but they did mewl quietly in encouragement. The door to her bedroom clicked again, and the quick, unsure footsteps of Ray passed her by a second time. As soon as he was out of earshot, her phone buzzed. He was calling her. 

“Where are you right now?” he asked, his voice a little breathless. She could hear his clothes rustling; he was still moving through the building. “I was in your room a few minutes ago, but you weren’t there.”

Hayun struggled to find her voice for a heartbeat. “Oh, I was in the library for some sight-seeing.”

“Ah, we must’ve just missed each other.” His tone was light, but he sounded a little pained. She suddenly regretted not walking back out into the hall to catch him. “Like I said before, you’re free to go anywhere on that floor. But, um…if you’re in your room right now, could you look on your bed? I brought you flowers.”

“Hang on, I’ll go there now,” she returned, lifting up off the floor and striding down the hall at a brisk pace.

“I picked them fresh from the garden here. Yurim was there; I think he was really happy I brought them. I hope  _ you _ like them.”

Once she’d re-entered the bedroom, she spotted them instantly. Twenty small red roses wrapped in brown paper and tied together with a gold ribbon were laid ever so gently for her against the pillows at the head of the bed. Both Yurim and Siren were there, sniffing at them cautiously. They moved away almost nervously as soon as she walked in, perhaps a bit spooked from Ray being there without her. 

“They’re beautiful,” Hayun sighed, genuinely touched. It was such a traditional thing, but she was charmed all the same. “Did you arrange it yourself?”

“I did…I was thinking about you as I made it, so…yeah…”

Hayun let out a gentle chuckle at hearing him fluster. She quickly realized that might upset him. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just so…cute. Lovely. No one’s ever done something like that for me.”

“Never?” Ray asked, astonished. “I’d think you’d have so many people giving you flowers…”

“Not everyone is like you, Ray,” she explained, unable to stop grinning. All thoughts of the true nature of Mint Eye took a back seat, though she did wonder how much of this was honest. Her gut said it was, and she’d learned to trust her gut.

“This is nothing. I’d like to give you something even better. What could be better than flowers…? I’ll think of something,” he resolved quite insistently.

Hayun shook her head, despite him not being able to see it. “No, it’s the perfect gesture. It reminds me of my father’s garden, of home. Nothing is better than home.”

“Home…” he muttered for a moment, before drawing in a deeper breath. “Anyway, I’d hoped to put those flowers in your hands myself. It’s kind of a shame. Um…it’s not part of the bouquet, but have you ever seen an anemone flower?”

“Sure, they’re part of the buttercup family. Pretty little things,” she supposed.

“Yes, they are pretty, but I’d never give you one. In the language of flowers, they mean ‘betrayal.’ Just thinking of it makes my heart ache…it doesn’t suit you, either.”

Hayun hesitated, thinking hard about her resolution to see this whole crazy mess through to the end. “I’d never betray you, Ray,” she resolved, and she  _ meant it. _ “I think white chrysanthemums would suit us better.”

“ _ Oh, _ ” he whispered ever so softly. “Truth…loyal love…th-that’s so wonderful.”

“You remind me a little of the white daisy, Ray,” Hayun continued, starting to feel her skin burn from embarrassment. Hearing him sound so happy was intoxicating, and she so wanted to make him feel good. “Innocence, faith, purity.”

“N-no, I’m not p-pure at all,” he protested. “B-but then you’d be the red daisy…a beauty unknown by its possessor…”

She straightened, unsure of what to say at first. The hand holding her phone trembled. “You think I’m—”

“Of course, I’m not blind,” he said plainly, and she thought her brain short-circuited. Luckily, he carried on without her. “White chrysanthemums…yes, I will trust you, Hayun. I hope…you’ll wake up to those flower scents. I hope you’ll be happy as long as you’re here and—” A inaudible voice in the background interrupted him, and his voice grew farther away. Hayun nearly groaned in protest, knowing this meant he was being called away. “Looking for me? Alright, I’ll be right there—Sorry, Hayun, I have to go back to work. I’ll speak with you later, alright?”

“You know where to find me,” she mused. “Bye now.”

She could hardly focus on the chats for the rest of the day, trying to process all that had happened in so little time. To her great embarrassment, she realized that she very blatantly just flirted with a man she hardly knew and had determined it was her responsibility to tear down this strange cult-like company from the inside out. She was so in it now, bouncing between grinning over her conversations with Ray and scolding herself for being so careless. It seemed that most successful and strong trainers, retired or not, had a proclivity for charging head-first into bizarre and potentially dangerous situations.

Jaehee and Jumin were amusing in their own weird little friendship or workmanship, but at last, Zen had returned. It turned out that Luciel’s panic was for nothing, since Zen was simply treating himself and his Kirlia to a spa day after he failed an audition. He felt bad he didn’t tell anyone but was touched that they were worried. He even sent reconciliation photos of his painfully good-looking face relaxing along with his graceful companion, the Psychic-type’s silken hide now practically shimmering. Another guest recommendation came along, and shortly after sending the email, Zen called her. AI or no, his voice was relaxing, and she finally felt her shoulders un-knot themselves as they had a rather cleansing and ordinary conversation. 

Another round of play and a thorough combing of Artemis and Apollo before bed, Hayun had settled under the covers, this time with her twin Vulpixes on either side of her, curled up against the dip of her waist. She had a brief conversation with her father to confirm that she was alive and well but refrained from disclosing the stickiness of the situation as it appeared to her now. Eyes and limbs growing heavy with fatigue, she rested her eyes from the soft yellow lamp next to her bed before the chatroom came alive yet again.

It was Ray, all by himself, waiting for her. He had come to her room again sometime after dinner, but she wasn’t there. She assumed it was either when she went back to the library or was in the bathroom. He was a little exasperated that they kept missing one another, and she reciprocated that feeling. He promised he would reschedule his tasks to come at a more convenient time for her and was pleased to report that the AIs were changing their behaviours according to her success in convincing V to hold the parties. Everything was advancing as expected. There were lots of ways it could end up, but he had no doubts that she could play it through in all the right ways.

Ray was excited about how many emails she’d already gotten from these party guest characters and wished that he could attend a party like the one planned in the game. He playfully decided that he’d want to bring her as his date, but it would probably only interrupt her pursuit of getting closer to one of the characters in the game. Hayun smiled sleepily, finding his fictional ramblings quite endearing.

_ “I’d love to go with you,” _ she told him.  _ “I’m not always interested in parties since I’d rather just be with my Pokémon, but with you there, it would actually be fun.” _

_ “Really??” _ He was in disbelief.  _ “You’d go with me…I suppose that makes sense. We’re real, and they’re just characters in a game. They’ll be reset when you’re done testing, anyways. I’m so glad you’re testing this game.” _

The way that he spoke about them, Hayun had begun to wonder if this Mint Eye company had actually first done some sort of AI. experiment on him. It would explain why he so often talked about them like they were real before correcting himself. Maybe he continued to work on its improvement from there.

_ “You really are happy about me being here, aren’t you?”  _ she asked, taking care with her words in hopes of learning more from him.  _ “It’s practically infectious.” _

_ “You seem to really understand me. You’re a special person, I think,”  _ he returned.

_ “Really? I would’ve thought that understanding others was natural. When people feel strongly, it’s like I can feel it too. That way I know it’s genuine. It works on Pokémon, too, but they always feel things so truthfully, it’s not so hard.” _

_ “That’s an amazing skill,”  _ he praised.  _ “I always feel so comfortable speaking to you. Even when we first met, I knew you’d be special. Is it because you have this ability? I hope…when the testing is over, you decide you want to be here more often.” _

Hayun bit the inside of her cheek. She  _ didn’t  _ want to stay there, now having some idea of what it was truly like, but she didn’t want to  _ leave  _ him there, either. If she could get her way, and she did have the tendency to make it happen, they’d be walking out of there together. Surely, he’d like her father’s garden and all the Pokémon they took care of. 

_ “I like being here with you, that’s for sure. When we met, I knew we were going to be friends. I sensed a kindred spirit.”  _ And that was the truth of it. If there was one thing for certain, she wasn’t going to lie directly to him if she could help it.

_ “I hope you didn’t leave anything too pressing at home, so you can stay for the whole testing,”  _ he said.  _ “Once you have clearance, you can visit other floors in the building. Your Pokémon can play in the garden, too. And of course, I’m sure you’re curious which character you’ll end up with at the end of the game, right?” _

Again, she tried to dodge the question a bit.  _ “The game is fun, of course, but playing in the garden with my Pokémon would be even better. And I’d rather spend more time getting to know you.”  _ Her face burned after she sent it. 

_ “If you decide to pursue me…you’ll have to stick around after the testing is done. Is that okay with you? There’s lots of time for you to think about it.” _

There was something you didn’t see every day. He didn’t jump on the chance, like some other men tended to. He was trying to give her room to breathe, to not feel pressured. This was heading into full-on sweet-talking and flirting but seeing him say that only reassured her more. Even if this whole situation was kind of crazy, Ray really did mean her well, and she could have a chance to get them both out of there.

_ “My superior will soon allow me to give you more access to the building, so please be patient,”  _ he continued.

_ “I trust you to look after me,”  _ Hayun replied quickly, trying to put him at ease.

_ “Ah…the server is unstable again…damn, I have to go.” _

_ “Already?”  _ she protested.  _ “I was hoping we could talk a little longer…” _

_ “I know. But I can’t let the servers be vulnerable to attack while you’re playing.”  _ Ray took a little while to send the next message, as if he was trying to find the best way to word it.  _ “I’ll talk to you in person soon, my Hayun.” _

He left before she could come to grips with what he said.  _ ‘My Hayun’? _ she thought. That was most assuredly flirting, wasn’t it? Her phone was planted on her stomach and she stretched a bit to turn the lamp off without drastically displacing the little Vulpix rolls on either side of her. Hayun’s body was starting to sink into the firm but incredibly comfortable mattress when the screen lit up a rectangle of the ceiling with a phone call. 

It was from V. Hayun exhaled through her nose and watched it ring out for a moment before answering. “Hello, V.”

“A-ah, yes. Hello, Hayun. I’m sorry for disturbing you, but I have a question to ask. Could you tell me where you are staying right now? Even a description of your surroundings…” He sounded distracted, splitting his attention between her and another train of thought.

“I can’t tell you that, I’m afraid,” she replied, recalling the instructions Ray gave her when she first began testing. 

“I see. I understand. Then, please answer this for me. Did someone bring you a gift recently?” Her mind stuttered to a halt, eyes flickering to the bouquet of roses she’d set up on the table in the centre of the room. Why would an AI ask such a thing of her? Was Ray pulling a prank? Was this a way that Mint Eye planned to extract information once they released the software?

“No, why do you ask?” she lied.

“Hm. Alright. Please be careful, though. Sometimes things we take for granted can be deceptive.”

_ No kidding, _ she mused internally, still coming to grips with just what exactly this place was. “I know what you mean. Believe it or not, I’ve become quite cautious through experience.”

“Is that right? I’m glad to hear it, but I wonder what caused such a thing. You’re a member of the RFA, now. I truly hope you’ll be safe.” Hayun had that same mental twinge towards his words as her other conversations with the AIs over the phone. It was so real, she could  _ feel _ the inflexion and worry in his voice. “I have to go. Please have a good night.”

V hung up hurriedly, not bothering to wait for her goodbye. Hayun set the phone aside on the nightstand, turning over to her side. Artemis shifted to lie against the bend of Hayun’s legs and Apollo squirmed between her arms. His warmth radiated a comfort she sorely needed as confusing swirled within her. Something instinctual and deep and  _ human  _ welled up in recognition every time she spoke with one of these RFA members. The more realistic they seemed, the more frightened she became of this technology. 

One goal remained clear: she was going to find out this nefarious scheme, take it down from the inside herself, and get Ray out from under whatever superior had their thumb on him.


	4. Day Three

Hayun jolted, her body burning in a panic as she woke from a nasty nightmare. It was one she had regularly, one of riding on Siren’s back, desperately trying to get home, get home, _get home_ —until she fell off, knowing she’d never make it on time. She never did make it on time to say goodbye. She coughed, accidentally inhaling her own spit from trying to choke back a snob. Tears threatened to spill, but she wiped them off before they could be counted. Apollo and Artemis stirred, the blanket having been yanked from under them slightly with Hayun’s movement. They mewled quietly in protest, but quickly perked to attention at her distress. 

“I’m okay, sweethearts, I’m okay,” she insisted, managing a grateful smile as they snuggled against her. Yurim had been standing to sleep for the past while, now watching with one eye open until he was sure she wasn’t alone. “Just a bad dream. I think this place sort of stresses me out.”

Her Vulpixes gave matching confused looks. From their perspective, this place was wonderful.

“Yeah, I know. But something isn’t quite right here. I think the people who work in this building are being led astray…” She sighed deeply, lying back down. The two foxes nuzzled under each of her arms, their cute little snouts resting on either shoulder. “I’m worried about that man we met, Ray…you two think he’s good, right?”

Artemis blinked in confirmation, and Apollo let out a small whine of concern.

“As long as we stick together, we’ll figure it out. I know that there’s something I need to do here.”

She clicked the lamp on and checked her phone. Somewhere around midnight, Zen and V had a short chat about the former’s motorcycling habits and the latter’s concern over it. It was a dangerous way to travel, as much as Zen enjoyed it. It evolved into a conversation about how they had first met, how V found Zen to be an excellent aesthetic muse, which was not surprising. It was encouraging to see him speak more freely about his lost beloved, Rika.

Hayun realized that it was almost three in the morning. She was about to resign herself to attempting more sleep, hoping that the nightmares had disappeared from her mind for the time being, but then a message appeared in the chatroom. Once again, it was Ray, materializing when she seemed to need him most. 

_ “Hayun! You’re not sleeping yet.”  _ He followed it up with a celebratory emote.  _ “Aren’t you sleepy? What have you been up to?” _

He paused to wait for her reply, and her thumbs hesitated in front of the touch keyboard.  _ “I woke up not long ago…from a nightmare.” _

_ “Are you alright? Are your Pokémon with you?”  _ he asked very quickly.  _ “I get nightmares pretty often, and I always feel better when Fern is with me.” _

Instead of responding directly, Hayun simply poised her phone an arm’s length up to snap a picture of the three of them on the bed, her chin-length curls splayed across her pillow and the warm light of the lamp making half of her face glow. Artemis and Apollo were aware of the lens, peering with wide eyes at the camera. Sending the photo, Hayun grinned, saving it to her ever-growing albums of cute images.

_ “Oh,”  _ he started at first, making her snort in amusement.  _ “You’re so cute…all three of you, but you especially, Hayun. One sec.”  _ After a few moments, he sent a photo of himself, appearing to be sitting at his desk with a sharp white light illuminating his face. Adora was sitting in his lap with her blue and red rose-tipped arms crossed over her tiny leaf blade chest. She appeared to be dozing, her long lashes tipped down and little mouth upturned pleasantly.

_ “Aw…she looks like your little guardian,” _ Hayun replied.

_ “She’s definitely the most protective of me,”  _ he said.  _ “Hey, there’s something I wanted to tell you…mind hearing me out?” _

_ “Of course. If you want, you can come to my room right now.” _

_“I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure if you were awake…besides, you look so calm and comfortable, I don’t want to disturb you or your friends.”_

Hayun lolled her head to the side with a smirk; he was so considerate, almost to a frustrating degree. _“Suit yourself. What is it that you wanted to talk about?”_

He uploaded another image, this one of a small potted plant with two saplings. _“I got this as a gift a while back. It’s supposed to sprout into one stalk, but this one has two.”_

_ “One of them looks like it’s not doing so well…” _ she observed.

_ “Yeah, even though they both got the same amount of water and sunlight, the one on the left is much weaker. It’s as if it was destined for one to be stronger than the other.” _

Hayun glanced down at her twin Vulpixes, who were now nearly falling asleep against her, and combed through the fur on their heads with her fingers.  _ “There must be something we can do for the weaker stalk.” _

_ “Someone once told me to cut it off,”  _ Ray recalled.  _ “But I think that’s wrong. The weaker one was being drained and targeted by insects, so I cut off the stronger one and used it as fertilizer for the weaker one. Now it will have everything back.” _

She frowned, a strange pit forming in her stomach. Her first reaction was to tell him that didn’t sound right either, but she knew that something about this seemed to impact him deeply. Only, it was close to home for her, as well. Before she could explain her feelings, he carried on.

_“I’m certain it will grow so well. I can’t wait to show you the flowers.”_

Hayun pinched her bottom lip in thought and decided that perhaps now wasn’t the right time for this particular tale of hers.  _ “I’m looking forward to seeing them.” _

_“Ah, I really want to talk to you more, but I have to go again. But don’t worry, it’s not hard for me. I’m doing something that I love. Something that I’ve wanted to happen for a long time. I’ll speak with you soon, Hayun.”_

At just like that, he was gone again. It was starting to make a bit more sense, now. Ray spoke about not being treated well when he was young, being adopted, constantly feeling like he had something to prove. Was he abused as a child? Did his superior treat him in a similar way? Yet, the work he did in the company, cult, or whatever it was—he seemed to really think he was doing something good. What had they told him, to get him to do these things for them?

The phone shifted to the call screen. It was him. She picked up immediately, already feeling warmth pool in her face from the prospect of hearing him.

“You weren’t sleeping,” Ray muttered to her as soon as she placed the speaker to her ear. His voice was soft and a little amused.

“No, I was thinking about what you told me about the plant,” she replied honestly, unable to keep her unguarded thoughts from springing forth around him. 

“I just wanted to hear you. Talking in the chat room wasn’t quite enough for me.” He sounded a bit embarrassed. “I sometimes wonder…do you think of me as I think of you?”

Hayun suppressed a hiccup. “U-um. I think about you all the time,” she managed, not entirely sure how to answer that.

“Really? That’s…so wonderful to hear.” He let out a long, gentle sigh. “Just listening to you relaxes me. My doctor told me to relax more, since I get headaches from working often…I suppose that means I should listen to you more.” Ray chuckled a bit at the end, a smile in his tone. 

Hayun hummed, feeling incredibly content in her warm bed, Pokémon at her sides, and Ray whispering in her ear. “I’ve almost forgotten about my nightmare, now. I think you’ve got the same effect on me.” There was a natural pause in their exchange before she picked up the thread she’d let rest earlier. “Ray, can I tell you a story?”

“Hm? Yes, I’d love to hear it,” he agreed.

“It’s…sort of related to the one you told me about those two plants from the same seed. Is that okay?”

He was a bit more hesitant this time, but eventually confirmed that it was fine.

“When I went on my coming-of-age journey, I’d just finished getting my third gym badge. Yurim was still a Deerling, and Siren was a Vibrava. I’d trained them very long and hard, and they were strong, but I wanted to look for more Pokémon to add to my party. I passed by a nursery, and it reminded me so much of home, I decided to stay there to train and raise the Pokémon there. The staff were really grateful for my help, since I knew exactly what I was doing. When I was there, I watched over a clutch of two eggs. The mother was a Fire-type Ninetales, and the father was an Ice-type Ninetales. Do you see where this is going?”

“That’s when you met Artemis and Apollo,” he presumed.

“Right. The owner of the nursery knew I wanted new Pokémon on my team to continue my gym challenge, so she gave me those two eggs to look after. When they hatched, they were so beautiful. Vulpixes are born with only one tail that splits as it grows, and they couldn’t even open their eyes yet. But you see, there was a problem.”

“What was that?” he asked, completely captivated by her narrative. 

“Artemis had a type disadvantage to Apollo. It is typical for clutch-mates to play-fight in order to grow stronger, but Apollo naturally had the upper hand every time. He grew up stronger and faster than her by so much, I knew I had to do something. I trained Artemis to be fast and careful, knowing that Apollo is rash. I nurtured her. Like your weak sapling, she required more care, but Ray—”

“Yes?”

“I love Apollo with all my heart. It would not have been right for me to ignore him or keep him couped up in his Pokéball all the time. I couldn’t help but love him, and I couldn’t keep him away from his twin sister. I trained them apart for just a little while so they could be equally strong, side-by-side.”

For a few long heartbeats, Ray said nothing. Hayun started to panic, thinking she’d upset him, but then he drew in a breath. “So…you’re saying I did the wrong thing?”

“Perhaps for a plant, it was the right thing,” she explained. “But for _real_ people—for Pokémon, too—for those of us with beating hearts and feelings and thoughts, you must evaluate each on their own. It wasn’t Apollo’s fault that he was stronger than Artemis at a young age. He was just doing what his instincts told him, and what he thought was fun. In a different trainer’s hands, it could have hurt them both, but I saw them as individuals, not as a matching set. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I—I think so,” he stuttered, uncertain. “Is it alright if I think about it?”

“Of course, Ray,” Hayun whispered as tenderly as she could manage. “I don’t want you to feel bad. I just want you to understand it from my perspective. I hope that helps us know each other better.”

“I want to know you, Hayun,” Ray returned, clearly still mulling it over. “I will consider this carefully, so that I can know you. But I have to get back to work right now. Will you be okay by yourself?”

“I’m never by myself,” she said, thumb stroking Apollo along the base of his ears as he snored softly.

“Right, of course,” he laughed breathily, making her skin tingle. “Um…before I go, can I ask a favour?”

“Anything.”

For a moment, he pulled his face away from the mic, and she could’ve sworn he let out a short, whined breath. “Ah, could you—can you tell me to cheer up? That way I can work more efficiently.”

“To be perfectly honest, I wish I could hug you right now,” Hayun chuckled. “You sound like you need one.”

“Oh, a hug from you would be so cozy…you’re always wearing warm things like sweaters and hats and gloves that let your fingers poke through—my heart’s racing just thinking about it. But I’m getting distracted. You go back to sleep.”

“Don’t forget to rest, too,” she encouraged. 

“I’ll try. Sweet dreams.”

Hayun hung up the call and twisted the tiny knob switch on the lamp next to her, letting out a long sigh into the darkness. As her eyes adjusted from the lamp being turned off again, she pet her Vulpixes down their sleek-furred backs affectionately. Sometimes, you just had to put a little extra work in, and the universe would reward you. 

Next thing she knew, Yurim was licking her cheek and nose with his long sticky tongue, bright morning sunlight streaming in through the windows. She’d turned over in her sleep, her Ice- and Fire-type foxes now sitting on Yurim’s broad shoulders, Siren clicking lowly while perched on the windowsill to look outside. She was surprised that the twins were on Yurim’s back, since he didn’t often tolerate their claws, but currently Artemis was settled happily between his antlers, studying her trainer just as intently.

“Good morning to you, too,” Hayun grumbled, pulling the covers about her shoulders stubbornly. “Did you all get bored?”

Siren let out a high-pitched whistling noise to communicate that yes, she had indeed been bored. It only set the others off, Artemis and Apollo giving their characteristic high and thin barks. Yurim remained civil, only humming and nudging his snout against Hayun’s head. The ex-trainer let out a dramatic sigh.

“Fine! Children,” she scowled, mostly in jest, as she threw off the covers and bounced out of bed for a long stretch on the tips of her toes. While brushing her teeth, activity in the chatroom drew her eye. 

Luciel had returned, having pulled an all-nighter to work on the virtual security of the group. He cited energy drinks as the secret, or more specifically, his own branded energy drink. She let him ramble on with amusement, pitching in only when he let her have a word in edgewise. Jumin, fresh off his morning routine, rolled in to chastise the younger man. He later admitted that he’d never been in a convenience store, let alone a Poké Mart. 

After offering their…interesting guest recommendations and contact information, Jaehee entered the chatroom, sporting a profile picture that looked like Jumin’s precious Delcatty leaping down from someplace high. She looked very stressed just from her phrasing, exasperated by her boss not answering his phone when she had to reschedule a meeting for him. Hayun watched the chaos and Luciel continued to chitter about his energy drink business venture, offering her own balanced or amused remarks when she could. 

Once all three had trickled away, Hayun set about taking care of her new morning schedule in relatively high spirits. Even when Jaehee called to ask about Jumin leaving the chatroom after her, Hayun joked with the young businesswoman and delighted in her modest laughter. She actually wished Jaehee was real, just for the sake of how well they would truly get along. Jaehee wished she had someone to vent to, but the only model she had were other women in the company who complained to their boyfriends.

“If you don’t mind me asking, do you have a boyfriend, Hayun?” the PA meekly inquired. 

Hayun grinned wide as she continued brushing through Yurim’s pelt, not only entertained by the question, but also by Jaehee’s cautious and polite delivery. “Heh, my relationship attempts were few and short-lived. But you can complain about work to me, Jaehee, and vice versa, until one of us gets a boyfriend.”

“Oh, between everything Mr. Han has me do and sometimes suddenly tasking me with looking after Elizabeth, I don’t have any time for a boyfriend,” Jaehee breathed with a twist of embarrassment. 

“You’re like me, then,” Hayun replied. “I’d never have time to give someone else attention like that.”

“What is it that you do, Hayun? You’ve never mentioned it in the chatroom before, or perhaps I just missed it.”

Without even bothering to gage her response, Hayun chirped: “I run a Pokémon nursery and daycare with my father. Before that I was a trainer.” She regretted it instantly, wincing. It was something the Mint Eye company knew already, but she didn’t want to slip up and give them leverage about her personal life. 

“That’s a wonderful profession, but I can imagine it must be very time-consuming,” Jaehee observed.

“It really is. Especially if a bunch of clutches hatch at the same time. I’ve pulled a few magical but exhausting all-nighters.” She paused in her brushing, wondering if Ray would hear this part of the game testing. “But you know, if I really came to care for someone in that way, maybe I’d be able to make the time. Never say never.”

She could hear the smile in Jaehee’s voice. “Yes, that’s a very sensible conclusion. I’m certain you’ll find someone like that, someday.”

Since she was so rudely woken up so early, Hayun decided to do a shorter period of training with her Pokémon before breakfast so they would leave her with a peaceful late morning. As she was finishing her sunny-side up eggs on rye bread, her Vulpixes and Flygon already curled up together for a post-workout, full-bellied nap, she continued the game’s testing. Zen talked about his acting career, his good looks, and Jaehee, ever the fangirl, was happy to affirm it all. Hayun found it fun to talk to them but was disappointed when she’d not received any word from Ray yet. Though, if he stayed up so late, perhaps he needed to sleep in.

With her companions satisfied and sleeping it off, it gave her the chance to take a nice long shower and dig into the books in the library down the hallway. She was nose-deep into a botany text and was reading the chapter on cross horticulture-Pokémon ecology when her lunch arrived right on time for noon. Shortly after, Ray emerged in the chatroom at last.

Ray made sure that Hayun had her lunch before talking about what had recently happened in the game.  _ “Those AIs talked about friendship. The one between Jumin and V. Do you believe in friendships like that?” _

_ “Friendships between two humans can be really complicated. I’ve always had an easier time being friends with Pokémon, but I suppose that’s not surprising for an ex-trainer,”  _ Hayun told him. Her leg bounced in the chair at the table.  _ “I think there are a few people in this world you can naturally get along with, though. Just like you and me.” _

_ “It makes me so glad that you feel that way,”  _ he texted back quickly.  _ “I haven’t had many friends, but I’ve been betrayed by someone before. It gave me so much heartache. I didn’t have many friends because I wasn’t let outside very much when I was young. That’s why I love being in the garden, now.” _

_ “I can’t even imagine that,”  _ Hayun confessed, her heartstrings wrenching at his revelation.  _ “I was always outside when I was young…but maybe, you appreciate it more than I do. The flowers are your friends, you could say.” _

_ “That’s a perfect way to put it,”  _ he said, sounding pleased.  _ “I’m learning the language of flowers, as well. Let me know if you want to learn any of their meanings. But it seems like you know a little about that, too.” _

_“Only a bit. I certainly haven’t memorized them all. What about the blue rose, the one you wear all the time?”_

_ “The blue rose…Impossible. Unattainable. For some, happiness is impossible to achieve. I wish to give them that happiness.” _ Her heart positively melted; it was a wonderful sentiment.  _ “I really hope I could be your best friend, Hayun. Something even stronger and deeper than Jumin and V.” _

_ “I told you I knew we’d be friends, the moment we met,” _ she recalled.  _ “We only need time to understand one another more.” _

_“Of course, we’ll have time, if you wish to stay here for the whole testing.”_ She absently wondered how long that would be for as he continued: _“I had lunch with a very important person today. My superior. We don’t often have tea together, but it does still happen.”_

_ “I’m a little jealous that they got to do that with you,”  _ she admitted, a tiny amused smile beginning. Still, as she adjusted her position leaning against the headboard of her bed, Hayun had a sinking feeling about this supervisor of his.

_ “I hope we can all eat together sometime. The two most important people in my life right now. Say…this person, my superior, said they think all my attention is focused on you. That I am too distracted when I have important things to do. Do you think that’s the case? Do you think I’m obsessed with you?” _

Hayun frowned a bit, pondering why he would ask such a thing. Was he once again worried that he was overwhelming her?  _ “Not at all. I think you’re just very good at looking after my stay here, and you want to know me more. No harm in that.” _

_“To be honest, I’m not always sure how to express how I feel. My emotions are hard to understand and control for me.”_ There was a slight pause. _“My superior was very interested in you. The idea for the software that you’re testing through the game was actually theirs!”_

It was as she suspected. Something about this software was to serve this superior, but for whatever purpose, it wasn’t clear. Having realistic AIs would make it easier to monitor and control people’s lives if it became especially popular…were they planning to control Pokémon’s lives this way, too? _“When do I get to meet them?”_

_ “Soon, I’m sure. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more, but they are so tied to the software of the game, their whole existence is like one big spoiler.”  _ Now that was interesting to Hayun. He wasn’t even allowed to talk about this person. Things were getting progressively fishier at an alarming pace.

_ “I’m still so thrilled you came here on your own free will. I hope you’ll want to stay here even after the testing is finished. I’m certain our Pokémon will get along so well.”  _

Cults tended to want you to stay with them forever, away from the outside world. While she was certain Ray did not intend it maliciously, that was essentially what he was encouraging her to do. She had no doubt in her mind that he was being manipulated into thinking that’s what was best for both of them.  _ Truth, _ she thought. She had to stay steadfast to the truth, no matter how charming he was.

_“Of course, I’d like to stay with you,”_ she replied, trying to stay away from words that would be a lie. She only wanted to remain there to wiggle her way to the center of it all and take it down, getting him out of this mess in the process.

Ray was ecstatic at her response. In fact, he was so thrilled, he left the chatroom in a whirlwind after realizing he had to take care of something regarding the game. Hayun only got the chance to tell him that she hoped they would actually see each other before he was gone again. 

Trying to convince herself to remain calm, Hayun continued to read throughout the afternoon, and only once left to allow Siren a chance to stretch her wings in the simulation training room. Luciel and Jaehee had their typical amusing banter in the chatroom over a rather ridiculous picture of the man dressed like a fairy. Jaehee was naturally shocked and exasperated by it, but Hayun split a smile and tried to encourage them both. It was getting more difficult to focus on the game as her worries for such a sweet man like Ray being up to his neck in cult nonsense took up the majority of her intellectual and emotional effort. Although, she supposed that she was up to her neck in it, as well.

Encased in a relatively ordinary conversation (at least, ordinary for the RFA), was something that caught her eye. Jaehee was remarking on V’s unusual hair colour when she asked Luciel from whom he got his ginger hair. The hacker suddenly flustered and gave a ridiculous answer that was very plainly him avoiding the question. Hayun was fairly certain that Ray was naturally a redhead, given his light freckles and bits of his hair that had not been bleached, if it was bleached. Now that she considered it critically, Luciel even resembled Ray to an uncanny degree if you ignored the glasses and the shaggy head of hair. Perhaps Ray had based this character partially on himself? Both were brilliant with computers. 

After a couple more guest recommendations for the impending party, Luciel called her phone. He was goofing off, as usual, but she played along and offered cutting jabs and smart responses if she could keep up with his rapid speech. He talked about being the fairy in the photo he sent in the chatroom, flying until a flock of Spearows had begun chasing and pecking at him. They said they owned the sky and tried to tear through his wings because he wouldn’t pay them. That actually made sense, considering how very territorial Spearows and Fearows tended to be, but there was something oddly specific about his silly tale. Luciel had talked about the stress of his mysterious hacker job and how hard they made him work, but Jaehee had always assumed him to be lazy. Could he be referencing how he felt working for them? It reminded her of how Ray seemed to be suffering in his position, even though he thought it was the best job he could ever have.

Later on, Jumin and V spoke about their childhood again, and to both Jumin and Hayun’s surprise, V spoke openly about his lost fiancé. Jumin was clearly quite concerned for his friend in his own stoic sort of way, which she found quite heartwarming. While he did call her accidentally when trying to get Jaehee on the line, he took the opportunity to vent his worries about his friend, and Hayun was happy to listen. The way his personality interacted with his decisions and words still left her uneasy, knowing that it wasn’t actually real. She fell into treating him like a real person, which was far scarier than any cult she’d gotten involved with.

After dinner, Yoosung became consumed by the grief of the loss of his cousin, and no matter how she or Zen tried to comfort him, he’d hear nothing of it. Jumin was too cold and V too distant and secretive, he was certain of it. Hayun clenched her jaw as she watched the messages flicker by in haste, feeling as though the game would come to some kind of impasse soon. There were so many intense emotions, so many conflicting points of view; someone or something was going to rupture and boil over. Doing her best to answer guest emails, Hayun watched time march forward into the evening.

Spring nights came as swiftly as their dawns, it seemed. The air streaming in from the bedroom window cooled, causing Yurim to shake out his coat and puff out in preparation for the night. It wasn’t nearly as fluffy as it was during winter, but it was deadly soft. There were times, like this one, when Hayun would just fold her body over his back, leaning into him, and rest her head against his plush fur. Since she helped him with its upkeep regularly, she took a moment to drink in the earthy scent that naturally emanated from his body. Yurim smelled of soil and roots, Siren of sand, Artemis and Apollo of ash and snow…every person and Pokémon had their own distinct aroma. She made a mental note to discover what Ray smelled like once she saw him in person again.

The back pocket of her jeans vibrated, breaking the stark beauty of the setting sun and golden silence. Refusing to pull her body off her Sawsbuck’s back just yet, Hayun pulled the device out and forward in front of her face. It was Ray. She chuckled, heart growing light and airy at his appearing words. Curling her torso over Yurim further, she stretched her arms out even further to keep the screen at a good distance as she typed.

_“I’m so lucky you’re here,”_ he told her, using a cloud speech bubble for emphasis of his elation. _“I’m on my way to your room. I’ve got Fern, Adora, and Lily with me.”_

_ “Really?”  _ she tapped out swiftly, the news exactly the boost she needed. Suddenly, she startled, pushing off of Yurim fast enough that he snorted in protest. With a quick apology to her noble elk friend, Hayun scurried to the dresser where she kept the extra clothes she brought and plucked out a dark blue, form-fitting long-sleeved shirt with her fingerless gloves.  _ “They’ll be so excited to meet everyone! And I’m so excited to see you.” _

_ “I missed you, too. I think I thought about you almost all day.”  _

_Woah, is it warm all the sudden?_ Hayun thought with a blush, returning to the open window to recollect herself. Honestly, it was so childish to lose her head like this. She was twenty-two, not twelve. 

_ “It must be because we’re becoming friends, right?” _

They were back in the friend zone, then. She exhaled harshly for a moment, clearing her head. 

_ “It must be because I like you,”  _ he added.

They were back in the ambiguous romance zone. Hayun huffed, flustered and unsure about how to respond. Was it a good idea to pursue a relationship with a very attractive and sensitive and intelligent young man around her age who just so happened to be the head software developer for a cult that was most likely manipulating him into creating an AI algorithm that would shape the fate of society? Probably not, she reasoned. Was she going to anyway? Up for debate.

_ “How much do you like me?”  _ It could be taken as flirtatious, but she was actually gaging his reaction. She was fishing here, and really hoping for the Dratini over the Magikarp.

_ “Before you came here, I only ever did my best to achieve my goals. But now, you pop into my head no matter what I do…I wonder, are you enjoying the game? Did you eat well? Are you having fun in the training room with your Pokémon? Do you…do you like me as much as I…as I like you?”  _ His writing almost faded gradually as embarrassment took over.

Hayun’s blush had reached her ears. Never in a thousand years would anyone who knew her have guessed that she—nose-to-the-grindstone ex-trainer who took her Sawsbuck to a full gallop bareback and built sheds with her dad and burned her hands hatching Cyndaquils—would be emotionally falling flat on her face for this stuttering cinnamon roll who thought flowers were his friends. Considering he had a Roselia, he was partially right. 

_“I want you to think of me all the time too, but…Is it bad to want to control another’s thoughts and actions in this way?”_ he said freely, so innocently. He was asking again, asking if she was okay. _“Tell me, what do you think?”_

She felt compelled to offer only the truth. _“I don’t think it’s the right way…I’ll feel suffocated. What you should always desire is for the other person to come freely, to reciprocate on their own. That’s truth. That’s loyal love.”_ Hayun didn’t mean for it to reference romantic love, but only remind him of their discussion from the day before.

_ “White chrysanthemums,”  _ he recalled.  _ “Yes. I understand. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”  _ Ray’s crying chibi face followed. 

Hayun finger combed through her chin-length curls, the hairs slightly staticky from pulling her head through the hole of the shirt. Siren padded up, bent over low to the ground so she could rest her head in her trainer’s lap, earning some scale scratches. _“Thank you for asking. That makes me feel very safe with you, Ray.”_

_“Then I will always ask,”_ he responded immediately. _“Tell me, how did the game go today? Discover any more secrets?”_

_“It went well. V seems more active, so I might be coaxing him to share more,”_ she observed, not really sure what else to add. It was a captivating software, but her worries about what it’s intended use for this Mint Eye group was starting to weigh her down. 

_“Perfect, that’s exactly what I need. Ah, I’m almost there. I can’t wait to see you. Fern is starting to hop with excitement.”_

Hayun grinned broadly, gently nudging Siren to shift away so she could stand to greet him once he arrived. _“I’ll open the door.”_

Ray said nothing, instead sending an emote of his mild smile.

Shoving her phone into her pocket again, Hayun paced to the door and let him in. The room’s lights remained very low, so she relied on the bright moon to light her way with a blue glow. Ray was standing at perfect attention, still in his impeccably ironed three-piece suit with the long magenta coat and blue rose. His right fist was loosely closed over his chest, his thin, black leather glove giving off a dull shine. Hayun leaned into the door as she opened it, regarding his soft look and sweet little smile. His eyes squinted with joy at seeing her there.

Before either of them could speak, his Eevee, Fern, darted into the room to reunite with Artemis and Apollo, who just as quickly welcomed her with high yaps and gentle howls. Adora glided over to Yurim with elegance, gravitating towards a species of the same type. Lily, on the other hand, remained shyly at Ray’s feet, though she was being eyed up by a certain curious Flygon. Siren was a very large Pokémon, there was no doubting that, but she moved ever so slowly to her trainer’s side and nearly flattened herself to the floor, sniffing at the cowering Alcremie and clicking deeply from her throat.

“It’s okay, Lily,” Ray reassured his sugary Fairy-type. “Siren wants to be your friend.”

Siren’s small nostrils flared, her pupils dilated with happiness, and she fluttered her diamond-shaped wings. The vibration caused a slight pulse of air to rush about them, but also made that signature crystalline chiming song. Lily let out a high whine that descended in pitch, drawing closer to the dragon.

Hayun chuckled fondly, looking back at Ray with a smile. At first, he seemed a little astonished by her expression, but then offered a small one of his own, mimicking his Pokémon’s shyness.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t see you sooner,” he sighed, voice just as light and smooth as she remembered.

Hayun shook her head, careful not to make any sudden movements or expressions. Being around Ray was like stumbling upon a newborn Deerling in the woods; heart-stilling and pure. “Never mind that; I’m just glad you’re here. I mean, just look at the twins,” she said, inclining her head to the three fox-like Pokémon. Artemis and Apollo were already teaching Fern how to play like them, rolling and tackling each other without much force.

“It’s a wonderful evening for a walk,” Ray mentioned, bringing her attention back to be fully on him. It seemed like he didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he traced the seam of his jacket with his right hand and toyed with the buttons a few times.

“The garden?” Hayun inquired, making Yurim’s ears perk up.

Ray nodded, his pale aqua-blue eyes sliding to hers with another calm smile. “You remembered. Well, of course you did. I’ve come to take you there, and your Pokémon, too. We can all make a nice memory there.”

“Alright, then,” Hayun beamed, spinning around to grab the utility belt that mounted her Pokéballs. She retrieved just two, tilting her head quizzically at how Ray stood vigil in her doorway. He looked like he wanted to do something, but just continued to watch how Lily and Siren had begun to chirp and chitter quietly to one another. It was sort of adorable, really. “Yurim, Siren. It’ll just be for a few minutes, alright?”

Her two largest Pokémon conceded easily, returning to their Pokéballs with no resistance. Artemis and Apollo pattered up to her at attention, six tails on each swaying back and forth steadily in anticipation.

“Good to go,” Hayun announced to Ray, threading the belt into the waistband of her gray jeans as her twin Vulpixes deftly alighted her shoulders from the floor. Their weight wasn’t nonexistent, but she was used to it, only rebalancing just a bit.

“You’ll get to see the flowers in moonlight,” Ray remarked, turning sideways in spot for her to exit before shutting the door behind them. He extended his elbow, prompting her to link their arms together with courtesy. Hayun took the offer, her skin tingling from the warmth through the corduroy texture of his suit jacket. Glancing up at him again from a few inches below, she caught the blush that dusted his cheeks. She probably matched him in that regard. “Because we’re far from any city, the stars are very easy to see here.”

Fern took up residence on the shoulder opposite to where Hayun was holding onto Ray’s arm, and they were off down the hall, Adora and Lily hot on their heels. Ray used a plastic ID card to access the elevator at the end of the corridor, and after descending a couple of floors, they exited out into another, almost identical hallway. This one wasn’t lit, leading Hayun to believe that they were shut down for the day, but she did see a couple of silhouettes skitter across further down before Ray turned her away to the nearest exit.

The garden was breathtaking. Her dad was an excellent horticulturist, but this was on a whole other level. It was a bit overgrown and crowded, but there was a distinct pathway between gem-like hyacinths, lilacs, and orange roses. Intricate white wooden trellises crested over mossy flagstone with swaths of creeping vines and white-and-pink blossoms. Thick and high trimmed hedges bordered the yard off from the pine forest beyond. The night sky was sea-deep blue, the Rayquaza’s Tail galaxy splashed across it in a mist-like glow of silver stars. There was no need for lamps; the crescent, waning moon bathed the garden in a soft, cool light.

The weighted door clicked shut behind them as Hayun closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose. It smelled like rain and earth and the slight sweetness of the blooms. The calm breeze caused a few locks of hair to fall loose and tickle her skin, and she sighed in contentment. Artemis and Apollo were already off her shoulders and rolling in the grass with Fern, so Hayun drew in closer to Ray’s side, almost leaning on him as they tread further into the greenery, arm-in-arm. 

“Just, _wow,_ ” she whispered, not able to express the sentiment any other way. 

“I think that means you like it here?” he said gently to her, turning his head to watch her face.

“’Like’ doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this place,” Hayun returned. She glanced around for a moment, then shot him a quizzical look. “Do any wild Pokémon live here? I can only hear the Rookidees and crickets in the woods.”

Ray led her to the end of the winding path to a small clearing of grass and stones with a small arbour supporting two young wisterias. Inside the arbour, a bench was lined with thin white cushions and from the ceiling hung a small box lantern. Before answering her question, he supported her hand as she sat on one side of the arbour bench and fetched the matchbox resting on the ledge. 

“This garden had some construction activity, as we are still finishing the basement of the building,” he explained. Hayun watched him use slender gloved fingers to strike a match and light the lantern above them before shaking the stick free of flame. “We do get the occasional Chingling, however.”

As Ray took his seat neatly next to her, Hayun plucked two Pokéballs from her belt, expanded one in each hand, and released Yurim and Siren. As soon as the Sawsbuck gained recognition of his surroundings, he began to canter about the clearing in celebration. Siren quickly alighted from the ground with her wing-song, then soared in long patterns above them. Hayun and Ray grinned at one another from the display.

“Don’t go too far!” Hayun called to her Flygon, which earned her a short indignant cry from the dragon. “Ah, who am I kidding. She always just does what she wants.”

Ray chuckled fondly, gasping a little as his Roselia hopped up into his lap. “I’m so glad you’re here with me, in my favourite place,” he said, lacing his fingers together in front of Adora as she sat comfortably on his thighs. “It’s been three days since you’ve arrived, and I keep checking the messenger to make sure you haven’t disappeared into the game…I’m afraid of losing you to it since you seem to like it so much.”

Adora cooed at her human friend, making Hayun’s brows knit together in concern. “Testing this game is what I came here to do,” she replied, trying to speak slowly and keep her tone even. Ray was a very fast talker sometimes, and while she had no trouble catching up, measured responses were probably best. “But you know, I’m really grateful I got to meet you. Fictional characters are all well and good, but  _ this, _ ” she gestured to her Pokémon having fun and playing with his own, “ _ this  _ is what matters to me most around here. Our friendship, as young as it is.”

“Has anyone ever told you that it’s wonderful to hear you talk?” Ray asked suddenly, peering at her intently. Hayun blinked in surprise, too flustered for the moment to speak. He shut himself down with a persecuted expression. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. My mouth went before my mind again.”

“It’s alright,” Hayun insisted, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “You’ve been really sweet, I just didn’t expect a compliment.”

Ray’s eyes slid back to hers half-lidded with brows raised, a strange combination of disbelief and intricate thought. “You’re not used to getting complimented?”

Hayun shrugged, watching her feet sway underneath her from where she was sitting. “Not for stuff like that. Being a good trainer, a good fighter, a strong girl, a good Pokémon caretaker—people have told me all that. But…being pretty? Being nice to listen to? Hardly.”

“I can’t believe that,” Ray breathed, partially in annoyance. He was fidgeting with Adora’s arms in his lap, lifting one rose-tipped arm over the other alternately. She didn’t seem to mind. What he said next was hardly audible. “I think you’re very pretty.”

Hayun’s ears started to burn, but in a stroke of stubborn courage, she shifted closer and leaned a bit into his arm. “I think you’re really beautiful too, Ray.” His large blue eyes got wide and his face grew pink, but before he could manage a reply, the Roselia in his hands keened quietly. Hayun laughed, loud and musical, as she ran the back of her knuckles against the Grass-type’s small head. “You too, Adora. You are the rose itself.”

Ray finally made a noise akin to a croak, then covered his mouth with his hand and snapped his head away in shame. “How is it that you trump me every time?” he hushed out, shoulders tense and rigid. 

“Dad says I’ve got a sharp tongue on me, just like my mom did,” Hayun mused, smiling at the memory. “Whether it’s a battle of Pokémon or wits, I’ve always got to have the last word. Sometimes to my detriment.”

“D-detriment?” Ray turned his head just enough that she could see one eye blinking at her from beneath his feathered white bangs. “What do you mean?”

Hayun hummed in thought for a moment, looking out to watch her twin Vulpixes playing some form of tag with Fern and Lily. “Sometimes I can run people into the ground in an argument. It doesn’t happen as often as when I was a teenager, but I get so dead-set on something I’m trying to prove or say or—” she glanced at him again—“something I really want…I forget how it all started in the first place.”

“Do you succeed?” he asked, giving her his full attention again. 

Hayun let out a confused bark of laughter. “What?”

“Do you get what you want when you fight so hard like that?”

“Oh, I—” she hesitated, considering it fully. “Not really. Or at least, I might get what I started out for, but everything in my path is just…burned to the ground.”

“Mm.” Ray’s gaze flickered down to Adora, gently cradling her in his hands as she’d begun to snooze. “There are things that I really want. To show the world what I can do, to save it from itself.” Her ears pricked, wondering if he was talking about this cult’s ambitions. “To destroy my enemies. I used to think that was all that mattered, consequences be damned…but…”

Hayun rose a brow, tilting her head to get closer to his ear as she coaxed, “But…?”

Ray held his face close to hers, their noses only inches apart. “But you’ve made me realize that I have something to lose. My Pokémon. Your friendship. I can’t stand the thought of losing that.” 

_ Progress, _ she thought. Maybe he was starting to grasp that his superior’s orders weren’t the be-it and end-all. 

“I hope that you really consider becoming a part of our…company. Our paradise.”

Hayun forced her expression to remain serene, even though her heart ached. He didn’t quite understand, and his use of the term  _ paradise _ only confirmed it for her. This place wasn’t right. Neither was he. But that moment, in the garden, watching their companions frolic and exchanging tender words, was something truthful.

Ray needed to return to work soon after and couldn’t leave her unattended in the garden, so Hayun retrieved her two largest Pokémon and receded from the beautiful oasis, back to her light pink palace of a room. Just as they shifted away from the arbour, Hayun heard a rustling from between a large rose bush and the bordering hedge, halting suddenly enough to cause Ray to stagger.

“What’s wrong?” he asked innocently. “Did I upset you?”

“No, no,” she murmured, still watching where the sound came from diligently. “I just thought I heard a Pokémon or something, and I got excited. Let’s go back.”

He walked her all the way there, handling her delicately, as they whispered small phrases in the dark of the unoccupied hallways. Holding onto his arm was the perfect excuse to stand close, though she refrained from leaning into him again. There was such a thing as coming on too strong, and while he had the lead in that particular area, she didn’t want to disturb the comfort they’d cultivated. 

“I’ll see you very soon,” Ray told her as the door latched open and Artemis and Apollo darted for the bed. Hayun turned to face him at the doorway, reluctantly breaking their hold. Fern, Adora, and Lily all peered up at their owner as he gazed down warmly at his precious guest.

“You look sleepy, Ray,” Hayun muttered with a little smirk, tilting her chin up to regard him fully at their height difference. “You’ll take care, won’t you? I’d hate for you to fall asleep while we talked.”

He shook his head, the motion small. “I couldn’t close my eyes around you,” he returned softly.

She quirked a brow in mock speculation. “I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad if you did doze off. You’d look so sweet with your head resting on my shoulder, hm?”

Again, Ray turned that water-splashed pink colour across his cheekbones. It made his freckles stand out more, Hayun noticed. He glanced down at his feet in a meager attempt to conceal it with his bangs. “Y-You really do always need the last word.”

“It doesn’t have to stay that way,” she encouraged, watching him suck on his bottom lip. 

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ray sighed happily. “I hope you dream of us in the garden.”

Hayun only nodded in agreement, true to her promise to let him say the last goodbye for the night. After closing it, she rested her forehead on the door, breathing deeply and willing her rapid heartbeat to settle. She could hear the pause before his footsteps resounded down the hall outside. Shoving her hands into her wavy hair and messing with it for a moment, she let out a small groan of fatigue and delight, releasing Yurim and Siren back into the room.

Yurim went back to his usual post by the window, and Hayun followed to return by his side, lounging against his back like a wet rag. She’d been working her senses so hard just being around the man, a wave of exhaustion hit her. And yet, she only felt more energized and yearned to stay with him even longer. It was pretty plain that’d he’d begun the process of attempting to indoctrinate her, but there was something else, too. He just didn’t want her to leave. Not for the sake of Mint Eye, but because he _liked_ her.

Hayun wasn’t a schoolgirl anymore. She wasn’t the wide-eyed, slightly angry and brash teenager that went out to become the best Pokémon trainer the region had ever known. Seriously pursuing romance was on the table for her as a young adult, but she just wasn’t certain if  _ now _ was the right time. Did she like Ray? There was no denying it, and he was practically plain about reciprocating. But what did he  _ need? _

“Yurim,” Hayun sighed, patting the Sawsbuck along his neck. He twisted his head just enough to give her a side-long look. “If I’m not careful, Ray will be the china-shop and me the Tauros.” Yurim huffed a breath through his nose, humming low to comfort her. She nuzzled into the plush fur on his back, relishing in how the sound carried through his ribcage. “He smells like warm cotton and water and…roses.”

For the rest of the night, Hayun dozed off between chapters of the books she’d kept there, only brightening herself up for those in the chatroom. Luciel was there, asking about how she was doing, and she answered honestly: that she’d gone for a walk in a garden. V joined for polite pleasantries but left as soon as he got her to agree to a phone call. Luciel seemed pleased that V was in the chatroom more, and she had noticed that that latter was probably the only member aside from herself that he didn’t directly mock or prod. He was still humorous with the older man, but more the way one would be with their father as opposed to their siblings.

After amusing but rather lengthy ramblings regarding the energy drink he’d recently invented, Luciel left in another characteristic whirlwind, off to tend to his new product. V called within seconds of her being logged off, and she received it just as quickly, interested to see where the mysterious man would drive their conversation. 

“Hello, it’s me.” Again, a weird halting rhythm interrupted his otherwise smooth tone. At first, she thought it was a glitch in the game, but she actually heard the intake and pause in his breathing and decided that it was definitely intentionally placed. “Sorry to disturb you at…what time is it?”

“It’s just after ten at night,” she returned plainly, blinking into the softly lamp-lit room blankly. 

“Right, thank you. Sorry, I’ve been a little scrambled lately.”

“It’s alright, take your time,” Hayun soothed, leaning back against the headboard. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Ah, right. I wanted to ask you a question. Are you…staying alone, by chance?”

“In terms of immediate vicinity, I have my Vulpixes sleeping very soundly in my lap at the moment,” she said somewhat smugly, knowing that she wasn’t meant to really speak about her location. 

“Oh you…never mentioned your Pokémon specifically in the chatroom,” he observed.

She hummed in agreement. “I’d send pictures, but I’m not able to.”

“Right, you don’t have…I should ask Luciel to give you access for that, if he can. This hacking business is proving somewhat elusive.” His voice sounded strained, likely thinking about too many things at once. “But I’m getting distracted. What I meant was, do you have anyone visiting you regularly?”

“Whyyyyy would you ask me that?” Hayun countered, elongating her now lower and alarmed tone.

“I wanted to make sure you were safe if you were by yourself. Sorry if the question offended you.”

“Ha, it’s more likely you offended my friends here, they are very protective,” she mused.

At least that extracted some amusement from him. His chuckle was brief, but it was there. “I can see you can look after yourself. Just know that if there’s anything you’re ever worried about, anything at all, please let me know. It’s my responsibility to look after all the members of the RFA.”

“Sounds fair to me,” she responded casually, unable to stop an encroaching yawn. “Excuse me.”

“You rest up, Hayun. Oh, and…do please talk about your Pokémon more in the chatroom. I’m sure the other members would like that.” There was a pause when she expected him to say goodbye. “Did you say you have two Vulpixes?”

_ Oops, _ she scolded internally. She definitely did not mean to tell him that. “Yes, I did. Why?”

“Is one an Ice-type and the other a Fire-type, by any chance?” The question sounded urgent coming out of his mouth.

Hayun nearly dropped her phone. At least, she was certain she dropped her stomach. “H-How did you know that?!” she exclaimed, loud enough to startle said creatures in her lap.

“Just a lucky guess!” he rushed out, trying to calm her down. “It just seemed to suit you…sorry if that freaked you out.”

“I’m not freaked. I’m just…a little spooked. Well, whatever. Good guess. Have a good night.”

“Yes. I—hm. Please excuse me.”

Hayun clacked her phone face-down onto the nightstand, snapped off the lamp switch, and slid her body down the bed far enough to rest her head on the pillow and pull the covers up to her chin. Spooked didn’t even begin to unpack the cocktail of emotions she was currently drunk on. First her reluctant crush on a man who was most likely in a cult, and now, an AI could tell what types of Vulpixes she had just from her mentioning the species. Had Ray altered the game’s code to get her attention? It didn’t make any sense, considering the whole point of the software was to keep things realistic.

She shoved her jumbled thoughts away, hoping that everything would make more sense in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being extremely inconspicuous, V.


	5. Day Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favourite chapters.

It was no use. She couldn’t shake the panic V had inflicted on her for hours.

In a vain attempt to sleep, Hayun had avoided the messenger’s notifications by just rolling over and squeezing a pillow between her arms. Artemis and Apollo realized that there would be no comfort to their slumber by staying too close to her body, opting to curl up together at the end of the bed. Yurim had actually laid down to sleep for a little while, and Siren had transcended the waking plane of existence. All Hayun had left was the messenger.

She’d missed a call from Yoosung and Jaehee trying to comfort him in the chatroom. He’d decided to stifle his grief with picking up a new video game rather obsessively, but quickly unravelled. They spoke about what Rika would have wanted, how she so desired to help cure the suffering of both humans and Pokémon in the world through relief, rehabilitation, and conservation programs. They idolized this woman of apparent unending kindness and light. It was interesting, but also a little odd. Once Yoosung had left to drown his sorrows a little more, Jaehee expressed her worry that he was avoiding his feelings, which would only worsen the pain. 

Just as Hayun caught up on the messages, the background of the screen flickered and changed.

_ “You’re not asleep,” _ Ray greeted.  _ “But I’m glad I get to see you again. Your words, at least.” _

_ “I’m just restless,”  _ she confessed, unsure how to describe it exactly.  _ “Like there’s something I’ve forgotten to do. Do you ever get that feeling?” _

_ “Yeah, I know what that’s like.”  _ He uploaded a picture of one of the orange roses in the garden.  _ “Here, to cheer you up. You seemed to like them a lot when we were there not long ago.” _

_ “They say orange is the colour of tranquility. What does it mean in the language of the flowers?” _

Ray’s kissing flower emote appeared.  _ “Fascination. Desire. A very intense flower, for certain.” _

Hayun couldn’t help but grin to herself, already feeling the tension seep out from her shoulders and limbs. _“Intensity can be a good thing, sometimes.”_

_ “I so wish we could’ve been in the garden longer. It’s good for our Pokémon…and that’s a good excuse to be with you more,”  _ he supposed, adding a shy smiling emoticon.  _ “Speaking of intensity, I…nearly grabbed a hold of you, when we returned to your door. But I didn’t want to freak you out, so I held back.” _

_ Wouldn’t freak me out more than an AI knowing what Pokémon I keep with me, _ Hayun sighed inwardly. Besides, while she was generally wary of physical contact, there was no way Ray could pose a threat, even if he wanted to. It sounded rather delightful, anyway. 

_ “I wouldn’t have minded that, though waiting to ask was definitely the right decision. I almost hugged you myself, but I promised to let you have the last word.” _

_ “So next time...there’s no need to hold back? Perhaps my last word will be that, instead.”  _ If it were possible for her face to burn hotter, it would.  _ “When I close my eyes, I can still see an image of you in the garden, laughing at your friends, smiling at me. I’d love to stay there, away from the sadness and pain, just us.” _

_ “I’ve spent most of my life raising Pokémon in my dad’s garden…wouldn’t it be marvellous to do that together?”  _ she suggested. Could she get him to break away from this place that was so clearly hurting him?

_ “Yes, that would be even better! But…it’s just a dream. Something beautiful I can never have.” _

_ “Why do you say that?” _

There was a pause before he texted back.  _ “It doesn’t matter. As long as you can stay and be happy with us, everything will be fine.” _

They continued to talk about the game’s testing, and yet again he spoke about the AIs like they were actually people—people he really didn’t like, in fact. They discussed what the RFA stood for, what they tried to do. Hayun didn’t have any personal problems about the fundraising, but Ray was convinced it was hypocritical since all the members had their own failings. Cold-hearted corporate Jumin, mischievous 707, socially constrained Jaehee, aimlessly depressed Yoosung, haughty-yet-insecure Zen. Ray didn’t think any of them deserved her.

And of course, there was V. She did admit that the character seemed a little shady and secretive, but Ray was worried that V would take all her attention away, brainwash her into wrong ways, break her trust. Suddenly, everything was coming to a point, that early morning at twelve-thirty. As soon as Ray said,  _ “If you play to the end, you’ll get to save them all, and release the repressed happiness in their hearts! Only you can save them,”  _ it came over her like the coming of dawn. A quick internet search confirmed it.

They were  _ real. _ Every last one of them. It was the only explanation that lined up. The feeling she got when talking to them over the phone, the strange hostility Ray harbored for them, their significance to this cult plot. She’d seen this pattern over and over: happiness, relief of suffering, prayer, hypocrisy, saving people and saviours— _ paradise.  _ She’d heard it in the halls, when they were in the garden; it all started to fall into place. It really was a cult, but if the RFA were real, then why did this superior of Ray’s hate them so much? And what was  _ her _ role?

_ “Just host the party,”  _ Ray said,  _ “and you’ll save countless lives from suffering, including them.” _

Hayun watched his texts scroll by. He was typing in a different style, as he always did when he was spouting such strange rhetoric. They weren’t his words, merely recycled ones. She went from raw confusion to a burning rage, squeezing the device in her hands. How dare they trick her into being some sort of instrument of their schemes. Was the RFA to be made an example of, to be paraded about in front of the public and humiliated, so they could start to feed on the doubts of everyone’s minds? Collect them, one by one, showing the world that if a benevolent organization could be so broken, where was the hope for the rest of them?

Not only that, but how  _ dare _ they do that to Ray? He was a good man, that much she was certain of in this completely ridiculous scenario. He didn’t want to hurt anyone! But most assuredly…he didn’t want to hurt her. She was still under his protection, and as long as she pretended to go along, she could help the RFA and take this insane organization down.  _ If trainers from other regions can do it, then damn it, so can I! _

Ray’s text bubble changed for a moment, reminding her what she was doing.  _ “By the way, Hayun, what about you?” _

_ “What about me?”  _ she typed back, still on edge as she sat up in bed. Artemis and Apollo stirred, noticing her distress. 

_ “Don’t you ever feel pained or sad? Nervous?” _

_ “Sometimes. That’s part of life.” _

_ “That feeling of being broken, hurting, and confused, all alone…” _

Artemis bumped her cool, fluffy head against Hayun’s wrist and settled by her side, pawing at her elbow. Apollo stalked up the plush quilt and squirmed into the space between Hayun’s arm and waist, blinking rapidly at the bright phone screen. Yurim woke from his standing nap and stepped towards her bed, humming low in just the way she loved. Siren stayed lying on her floor pillow, but her wings shuddered, letting out a serene lullaby. 

The ex-trainer let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.  _ “I’m never alone,”  _ she replied to Ray.  _ “I’ve got my Pokémon, and my dad.” _

_ “You’re very lucky,”  _ he agreed.  _ “But someday…something might happen, and you’ll be trapped by yourself. The outside world is so unpredictable. Don’t you want to be protected from that?” _

She was no fool. They were in full-on indoctrination mode. Hayun took a moment to close her eyes, wishing so deeply they were back in the garden, talking about flowers and playing with their creature companions. This wasn’t the real him. This was someone pulling the strings. 

_ “You can become an official member of this building if you go through enrollment,”  _ Ray explained rapidly.  _ “What do you think? You want to stay?” _

_ This is it,  _ Hayun thought. This was her in, all or nothing.  _ “I’d love to be a part of this place. But what’s the enrollment like?” _

_ “Oh, nothing really. Just a little celebration ceremony that deems you one of us. A seed is planted in you that will one day grow and bear happy fruit…isn’t that wonderful? I think I’ll like you even more if you become one of us.” _

_ Not the way you think,  _ she sighed internally. 

_ “Oh, the servers are unstable again…I have to go. You sleep well, precious Hayun!” _

_ “Night, Ray ^^” _

She tossed the phone out in front of her and dragged her hands over her face while rubbing her eyes with a long, low groan. “All this trouble over a stupid pretty man!” she hissed out, a wave of shame and fear washing her blood hot. “Alright, you all. Arceus, I’m so sorry I dragged you into this mess.” Her Vulpixes cooed in worry, and Siren actually joined her on the other side of the bed, her long neck curling around to face her. She scratched the dragon’s chin affectionately. “We can’t trust anyone here, but Ray and his Pokémon are good eggs. We need to protect them, you understand?”

They all nodded in acknowledgement.

“I’m so glad I have you all,” Hayun whispered with joy, leaning to kiss each and every one on the nose. Siren trilled in excitement, seeming to like that they were now on a mission of some sort. “I can do anything with you at my side.”

Only with her Pokémon around her did Hayun find the comfort to finally settle effectively in bed, but then her phone buzzed. If Yurim could roll his eyes at her for picking up, he would have, but she was much more determined and cheerful even as she answered in a low, quiet voice.

“Jumin, you’re still awake.”

“I hope I didn’t disturb your slumber,” he replied in his deep timbre, relaxing her even more.

She chuckled with her mouth closed, the sound effectively coming out as a skipping hum. “In fact, normally I sleep early because of my work, but I had been rather anxious. I’m feeling much better with my Pokémon around me.”

“Ah, I remember you mentioning that you work at your father’s Pokémon nursery and daycare,” Jumin relayed in his drowsy drawl. “I also tend to sleep earlier. We’re in similar situations, as I have Elizabeth the Third here with me in bed. You haven’t spoken much about your companions in the chatroom. Do you mind if you tell me about them?” 

Her first instinct was to not speak much about them, for fear of the AIs knowing too much personal information. But this was a real, blooded and breathing person on the other end of the line. It was oddly liberating. “I have a Fire-type Vulpix named Apollo, and his twin sister, Artemis, is Ice-type. Yurim is my Sawsbuck, he’s been my friend for the longest. Then there’s Siren, my Flygon. She’s a little odd, but she’s a real sweetheart.”

“Those are some very powerful creatures. No surprise that you’ve been a trainer before.”

“Yeah, I was a trainer, but I like working with my dad more. We have a very close relationship,” Hayun continued, her body at ease now that she could say these things. She knew she still couldn’t talk about where she was or the people around her, but it was still something to set her free.

“You and I have that in common, then,” Jumin replied, sounding rather pleased. “It sounds like you share a strong bond with your Pokémon, too. They do bring such comfort during sleep, but I find it’s the mattress quality that really matters. It’s a science, honestly…oh, I’ve forgotten why I called you. Something about V, but I can’t recall the details. How odd.”

“I’m certain it will come back to you,” she suggested, stifling a yawn.

“Hm. Yes, you’re right. I often lose track of the conversation when you’re involved. You must be a good listener.”

“Maybe you need someone to share these unrestricted thoughts with, Jumin. I’m happy to lend an ear once in a while.”

He hummed, growing sleepy, but maintained his formal air. “You’re very kind. But for now, we should both get some sleep. Have a good night.”

“Bye for now, Jumin.”

As much as it was nice to finally have a conversation with a real, normal human being without worrying about cult acrobatics, Hayun was grateful for the opportunity to finally drift off. Her sleep was dreamless and deep, carrying her solidly to eight in the morning.

Luciel and Zen had been in the chatroom drastically late, and she had missed a call from the latter. It was weird, catching up on their conversation and now knowing that these were actual people. Zen really was a breathtakingly handsome actor, and Luciel really was a stressed, goofy, night-owl hacker. He was smart enough to notice that a chatroom on the messenger opened up just after midnight, but no one had logged in. So, Ray really was manipulating this very real messenger app, and he actually had hacked her into it. 

As Hayun wrote emails to guests for this party, being even more diligent now that she understood the stakes, she began to piece things together. Ray’s superior asked him to get an innocent bystander to pose as this now dead Rika’s friend and the new party planner. It bothered her to work right into their plan, but if she didn’t do her job properly, they might consider her disposable. Her Pokémon were strong, but would she be able to battle her way out of a whole building of cultists and their Pokémon? One thing still left in the dark was why these people wanted a party to happen so bad. Was it to publicly humiliate the RFA, as she suspected?

Over breakfast, she was pleased to greet Jaehee good morning. The businesswoman wanted to wash away her shock at seeing Luciel’s strange cosplays when she woke up, so she began sharing pictures of Zen. _Ever the fangirl,_ Hayun chuckled internally. While she did agree that Zen was very dashing, especially with his Kirlia always perched on his shoulder or riding in the hood of his jacket, she was much more interested in seeing Jaehee’s little companions. She was shy about it, but the PA did upload a photo of her holding her Togetic in front of her, little smiles on both their faces. Yoosung joined them shortly after, chittering about video games and adding his own image of his Mareep and Wooloo cuddling together in his tiny student flat.

They mentioned Rika again and how she wasn’t on good terms with her adoptive parents, Yoosung’s aunt and uncle. Ray knew this woman was important to them, enough to imply she was the key to this ‘game’ of his. Did he find something out from hacking into their information? There were still several threads left untied, making Hayun anxious.

The most disturbing thread was probably V. After training with her Pokémon and showering, Hayun noticed that he returned to the chatroom, wanting to get to know her better. She still had her hackles up. After all, even if he was a real person, there was still no sound explanation for how he knew that she had an Ice- and Fire-type Vulpix each. Their conversation remained civil, all the same. He was startled by suddenly receiving a call from his father, and implied that they had been somewhat estranged for a while. He had regrets, but they no longer could do any good.

Hayun’s heart clenched, a pain long buried scratching at the surface of her. She did not expect to relate to this suspicious man in a chatroom early in the morning when so many other things were going on. She was already playing mental chess with her immediate surroundings, having that tender spot prodded now was the last thing she needed.

_ “I know what that’s like,”  _ she told him.  _ “Not being able to communicate what you really want from your parents is hard. I was an obstinate teenager, too.” _

_ “Most teenagers are obstinate in one way or another,” _ V observed calmly.  _ “I so wish I could feel freer to communicate. Especially with you all in the RFA.” _

Jumin joined in, surprised by the depth of the conversation they were having. He believed V was trying to learn more about Hayun by prying out details little by little in these rather personal conversations. The corporate heir was terribly direct, as he should be, but Hayun found his reaction interesting. It seemed as though Jumin, too, was having concerns about V’s behaviour. At this point, the photographer was more suspicious of her than she was of him.

In any case, V was meeting up with his father later that day, though likely for business. It clearly hurt to be used by his own parental figure for monetary gain, but he seemed to have a distinct obligation to at least hear the man out. While admirable, Hayun got the sense that V had a hard time saying no to people, even when those close to him may have been manipulative. He couldn’t just walk away. Not that she was one to judge, considering the circumstances with Ray.

Once again, the conversation turned towards Rika. Jumin, a man who liked regularity, was concerned about how quickly things were changing so soon after her death. But then V said something that caught Hayun’s eye:

_ “She left something behind for me, something important. I cannot fear change as long as I have this to carry out.” _

_ “Did she leave her legacy…?”  _ Hayun asked, trying to stick to her story that Rika led her there after the former’s death.  _ “Is this what she left behind for you?”  _ This Rika woman…did Mint Eye want to know about her? Ray was rather insistent that V was too secretive and full of deception.

_ “I’m afraid it’s more complicated than just you, Hayun,”  _ V returned, avoiding specifics yet again.

_“And no doubt you cannot explain further,”_ Jumin added, his sigh almost audible from the text. 

_ “No, I cannot. It is a task for me and me alone. I will tell you everything when the time comes.” _

_ “I trust your judgement,”  _ Jumin conceded.

_ I don’t,  _ Hayun grumbled to herself. Once Jumin had excused himself from the chatroom, she made her move.  _ “You’re trying too hard to carry this burden alone. You won’t be with your Pokémon, you won’t tell your best friend. Take it from someone who knows. Isolating yourself will only make it worse.”  _ Perhaps it wasn’t kind, but it was something she needed him to hear.

_ “I appreciate your concern, but this matter is incredibly delicate,”  _ V replied after an apprehensive pause.  _ “The way you said that…have you lost someone close to you, as well?” _

She snapped. _“Sorry, but I don’t feel like being open around someone who is so closed.”_

_ “Yes, that I can understand. I’m sorry to have brought up something painful.” _

Hayun sighed, long and loud, and rubbed her eyes from the stress. _“No, I’m sorry. I lost my temper. It’s just…hard to talk about. It’s even harder to watch you go through it.”_

Another pause. For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t respond. 

_ “You’ve got a wonderful heart, do you know that?”  _

Hayun blinked at V’s words. That was not the reaction she expected. 

_ “You seem to feel very strongly for my circumstances to become frustrated by it. You have a fighter’s spirit.” _

_ “It was still wrong of me,”  _ she insisted.  _ “A good fighter knows where and when to strike best.” _

_ “But you’d fight for us, wouldn’t you? You’d fight for the RFA?” _

She hesitated. Ray was probably watching.  _ “I’m still trying to understand you,”  _ she said neutrally.

_ “I see. I enjoyed our conversation today, and I hope we can learn about each other more. Have a good day.” _

Hayun stood up from the table and paced around the room once to calm her nerves.  _ That was a disaster. _ She knew she couldn’t make herself vulnerable, especially when these Mint Eye people were watching. She wasn’t worried about Ray, it was what his superior might hold against her if she wasn’t careful. Did V deserve such ire from her, anyway? True, he was trying his best, but she couldn’t help but think him an idiot for going to such lengths to alienate himself from the people who clearly thought so highly of him. A relatable idiot, but an idiot all the same.

While giving Siren a thorough scale-scratching, Hayun got a call from Jaehee. She pinned the phone by her ear with her elbow as she raked the spot between her Flygon’s wings, the dragon bending her neck all the way back playfully at the attention. 

“Jaehee, nice to hear from you,” Hayun chirped, energized from having such fun with her quirky companion. “How’s your morning been?”

“Oh, just fine, thank you for asking. I was feeling so relaxed after admiring Zen’s picture, but now Mr. Han won’t pick up my calls. He was speaking with you and V earlier; have you heard from him since?”

Hayun winced a little, pausing in her ministrations before resuming as Siren trilled loudly in protest. She really hoped that none of the members thought less of her because of her little emotional outburst at V. 

“Hush, Siren, I’m speaking with Jaehee,” she cooed to the desert dragon. That only prompted Siren to let out a noise that combined a ripple of clicks and a high whine. “Sorry about that, Jaehee. She’s very talkative today. No, I haven’t heard from Jumin. I hope nothing is amiss.”

Jaehee let out a mixture of a sigh and a laugh. “It’s alright, it’s not the first time it’s happened. Whenever I must ask him something important related to work and he isn’t available, I always lunge out of my seat and scour the messenger to find him.”

“Glad to say I don’t relate to you on that one,” Hayun mused, moving to Siren’s underbelly. “I could run my dad’s business myself at this point, but whenever I need him, I just need to go out into the garden.” A sudden pang of homesickness hit her then. She’d have to text him soon and let him know that she was just fine.

“Ah, that sounds so…well, I was going to say peaceful, but I know you have to deal with baby Pokémon all the time.”

“True, they’re almost as troublesome as Jumin!” Hayun returned, getting Jaehee to giggle quietly. She had the most wonderful laugh.

“I remember when I got my Togetic—well, he was a Togepi at the time, of course—I wasn’t so sure I was able to handle raising a Pokémon. My life was so busy already but, in the end, it was wonderful to have someone else around. And he’s an excellent helper.”

“You must be very close to have evolved him,” Hayun noted. “It’s said that they love kind-hearted people the most, so as soon as you showed him to me in the chatroom, I knew you were trustworthy.”

“Oh, that’s very nice of you to say. Though, I am curious. Have you ever lost a creature left in your care? Mr. Han is more alike to a wandering Pokémon than I think he realizes.”

“They enjoy doing as they please, especially if they are used to calling the shots,” Hayun replied, changing the rhythm of her hands to simply run them with the grain of Siren’s hide. “Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but a Rapidash we had in our care got loose. It took me flying on Siren here for almost an hour just to catch up and get it back in its Pokéball. I’m not sure if that will help you with Jumin but do be persistent.”

“The story at least brought a smile to my face. Thank you for being my sounding board, anyway.” Jaehee almost sounded shy but was obviously very happy to talk like this.

“Perhaps if you think about Zen for a couple minutes, you’ll be energized to go out and chase after Jumin,” Hayun suggested.

“Hm…that’s a wonderful idea. Do you think of him when you’re stressed out? I know it has only been a few days since you’ve known him, but he is so breathtaking.” 

Hayun let out an awkward little hum. “Actually, when I’m stressed out, I usually just blow off some steam with my Pokémon, or…sometimes I talk to someone, just like this.”

“Ah, I’m so glad you feel comfortable around me as I do with you,” she said soothingly. “Now that I’m calm, I’m going to call Mr. Han again.”

“Good luck catching that Rapidash, Jaehee.”

“Aha, thank you. Have a good day.”

Hayun clicked off the screen of her phone quickly to prevent Siren from complaining about having only one hand on her. The ex-trainer smiled to herself, a spark of hope beginning to take root. Whatever these Mint Eye people thought about the RFA, they were good people. Fallible and lost, but good all the same. To pass judgement or attempt to save others against their will was not the compassionate response to their flaws.

She spent the rest of the morning sitting on her bed, leaning into Siren who cuddled her against the headboard. The dragon had clingy days, especially when she sensed that something important was about to happen or if Hayun was stressed. She simply had lots on her mind but tried to quiet her thoughts with more reading and reminders of what she was there to do. Having new friends in the RFA made it harder to conceal things from them, but she had to watch herself. No telling them where she was, how she truly came to be there. Given Ray’s hacking skills, she couldn’t even tell her father if something went wrong, or risk driving herself into conflict.

Her dad sent pictures of the nursery. A clutch of three Azurills had hatched and were already swimming in the freshwater pond outdoors. Hayun sighed, that same homesickness tugging on her heartstrings, and called him.

“Hey, baby-cakes, how’s the think tank thingy going?” he answered brightly, obviously working on something else at the same time as he rustled in the background.

_ Keep it positive, keep it positive, _ Hayun urged herself. “It’s actually super cool! This is really cutting-edge stuff. They’ve been treating us really nicely, and even have a simulation training room and a garden outside. I talk to the programmer of the software all the time as we work on the testing together, he’s really intelligent and kind.”

“Oh yeah—?” her dad drawled out cheekily.

She snickered. “I can practically hear your eyebrows waggling from here. I’ve only been here for a few days, chill out.” Artemis perked up at her phrasing, using Ice Beam to freeze the spot on the floor underneath her. “Oh, Artie, that wasn’t for you, honey.”

He bellowed with rough laughter from the other end of the line. “Tell the kids I miss them,” he said, still chuckling through the words.

“Will do,” Hayun giggled, unable to help but find his delight infectious. She felt better already.

“But seriously, I’m happy to hear you’re having a good time. You know when you’ll be back?”

Hayun let out a long noise of uncertainty. “It’s hard to tell. Maybe a week? Do you need me at home?”

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head about that, now. I’ll be just fine. Besides, I’d hate to take you away from this ‘intelligent and kind’ programmer fellow.”

“You’re making me regret mentioning him,” she breathed in exasperation. “It’s not like that.”

He chortled again. “You’re a terrible liar, even over the phone.”

She grumbled playfully. “Fine, well, whatever. None of your business, anyway.”

“Is he handsome?”

“Dad!”

Another peal of laughter. “Aw, alright, alright. I’ll stop teasing you.”

They didn’t speak for much longer, as her lunch arrived, but she promised to call again soon. The meals she received were light but filling with plenty of greens and white meat, she noticed. It was a wonder they could get such nice ingredients and berries for her Pokémon all the way out in the middle of nowhere. 

Now that she thought about it, if she did have to escape in a hurry, she didn’t know the way home. She knew the building was somewhat north of her dad’s nursery, and Siren could probably figure out her way eventually, but it was still a little worrying. When this all began, it seemed thrilling and adventurous in a very innocent sense, but it seemed that the days she could set out on a Pokémon training journey were well and truly behind her. She was an adult, and these were very mature problems.

Ray was in the messenger, waiting for her. He asked if she had lunch, and she sent a picture of Apollo with a berry halfway stuffed into his muzzle. When she asked if he had eaten, he said he would eventually, only he had a splitting headache. Her first instinct was it resulted from his poor eating habits, but it could be any number of reasons. Sitting in front of a screen for too long would do it, or maybe he was coming down with something. He thought his body was now used to the painkillers he was taking to manage his pain every day.

_ “You should tell your doctor; chronic pain could be something serious, Ray,”  _ Hayun told him, a little bolt of sympathy hitting her when he used his crying emote.  _ “I’m worried about you.” _

_ “I probably just don’t have enough willpower,”  _ he decided. That was not exactly what she had in mind.  _ “Adora knows Aromatherapy, and that’s been helping a little. You’d tell me if you were feeling unwell, wouldn’t you? I’d hate to watch you in any pain or discomfort…” _

_ “Of course, I would tell you,”  _ she reassured.  _ “But don’t worry, I’m strong and I don’t get sick very often.” _

_ “I get sick pretty often,”  _ Ray mentioned off handed, then carried on.  _ “Did you notice? The 707 AI saw my trace in the chatroom. He’s trying to find me.” _

Right, back to pretending she was none the wiser.  _ “He said he noticed the chatroom open, but no one was inside. That’s when we were talking last night.” _

_ “Mm-hm. He’s set to be very suspicious.” _ He reiterated his dislike for all the ‘characters’ in the RFA and emphasized again how much she should not trust V, especially since the RFA leader seemed to be trying to extract information that she must never reveal.  _ “Jumin is the least deplorable, with his logic and calm attitude…plus his resources will be of great use to us.” _

Hayun’s brows rose. He slipped up, only affirming her more. Her jaw clenched.  _ “Would it help you to pursue that AI?” _

_ “No, you should play however you want, as long as you stay on your guard around V and 707. If you reveal too much to them, the game might end right in the middle.”  _ She swallowed hard. Would her ‘game’ really end?  _ “I want you to stay here as long as possible. Have you thought about enrolling, like I spoke about?” _

_ “If it means being with you more, I’m interested,”  _ she returned coolly. It wasn’t completely a lie; she really did want to hang out with him, just without the cult backdrop.

_“Ah, I think my headache improved just from that,”_ he texted sweetly, accompanied by a happy emote. _“Fern, Adora, and Lily will be so happy to hear that…to have friends to play with. I’m so glad you like me more than those AIs…do you know who is even worse than V?”_

She could see where this was going.  _ “707, right? Luciel.” _

_ “That’s not even his real name, that’s how much of a liar he is,”  _ Ray retorted.  _ “Oh, that’s spoilers…anyway, he’s incapable of feeling sorrow. Completely different from me.” _

Hayun scratched her cheek in thought, wondering how Luciel could have possibly given him that impression. Was it just a contrast of personalities? Ray wore his emotions on his sleeve, while Luciel clearly preferred pretending nothing bothered him and joking around.  _ “Why not just destroy the character, if you dislike him so much?” _

It didn’t take long to get a flurry of texts. _“I’d love to do that, but I have to come up with the absolute perfect way.”_ Okay, that was pretty intense, even for Ray. There must have been something very personal there. All the more reason to stay; the closer she was to danger, the farther everyone in the RFA was from harm. _“I’ve got an idea! I’ll change the environment of the game a little and give 707 a big surprise! It’ll be so entertaining to you.”_

_ “Don’t do extra work on my account,”  _ she countered. Arceus only knew what sort of surprise he had in mind. Likely more hacking to freak Luciel out. 

_ “No, it’ll be fun for you! You’ll want to stay more if it’s fun, right?” _

What kind of sick nonsense were they feeding him? _“I was going to stay anyway, because of you.”_ There was no subtext there. He didn’t need to work like this for her, or anyone else.

_ “I really hope you won’t change your mind. I could say any one thing wrong and lose you…”  _ he trailed off.

Hayun huffed, filled with frustration and concern. The frustration wasn’t for him, it was for whatever dark-hearted person convinced him he needed to be like this just to be happy. _“There’s nothing you could say that would do that, Ray. We’ve been getting to know each other, right? Our friendship means too much to me to walk away so quickly.”_

_ “Really?!”  _ Ray typed in large letters.  _ “So, I can…say however I feel, whatever I want…?” _

_ “With me, always. Self-expression is good,”  _ she coaxed him.  _ “It makes you shine brighter.” _

Ray backtracked as quickly as he got there.  _ “No…you’ll hate me. I have to be careful, because you’re so precious.”  _ Her thumbs hovered over the screen, unsure of how to proceed. She was no psychiatrist, but she was trying.  _ “Oh, my painkiller is here. I’ll talk to you later, after I get some work done, okay?” _

_ “Please take care, Ray. I hope you feel better soon.” _

He sent his rose-kiss emote.  _ “I feel better already just from our conversation.” _

With that, he was gone.

Hayun’s heart ached yet again. Ray’s thought processes were twisted up, but he really had a heart of gold. It burned her up knowing there was probably someone pulling the strings behind the scenes of this entire charade playing out around her. However, she felt that glimmer of hope grow brighter. _I’ve just got to help him discover who he is,_ she decided. He was open to the idea, innocent and warm, but was being held back. Cutting the cords that weighed him down would be enough for him to walk freely. 

One doubt plagued her mind: was his flirtation really from him, or was it someone’s instruction? She quickly shook that thought away, firm in her belief that it was genuine. He loosened and revealed some of his true colours when they were just being themselves. And those colours were beautiful.

Yoosung lit up the chatroom with his young sunshine personality, only to then complain about his dreams about university being shattered. Hayun, while finding it very funny, couldn’t relate either, since she’d never pursued a post-secondary education beyond being an apprentice to her father. Sure, she’d been a trainer, but retired before even finishing high school. She couldn’t pass judgement, but she did suggest that perhaps sleeping in class was not the best solution. 

The youngest member of the RFA was just aimless. Lost. That, she could understand. He wanted instant gratification, a common plague among the disenfranchised youth. Something that Han Jumin had a few words for. He told them to take what he said with a grain of salt considering the privilege he was born to, but he’d never have felt he earned it without the hard work he put in. You could lose an empire just as quickly as amassing one. Hayun wasn’t that much older than Yoosung, but she did already have a considerable work ethic. Like Jumin, she had a father who already owned a business, though it was much humbler.

_ “What you need is something that inspires you,”  _ she explained to Yoosung,  _ “and then actively choose to put the work in. No one can do that for you. There will be days when it sucks, but that’s part of the deal. You still work, even when you love what you do.” _

_ “I couldn’t have put it better myself,”  _ Jumin agreed, putting his words in a very cute Skitty-shaped speech bubble.

_ “That was really cool, Hayun, but I still just want to play games!” _

_ “Gaming is a career, too. I mean, think about it. Even Pokémon battle matches are a profession. Both can be a sport, if you really put the effort in for human or Pokémon excellence.”  _ She paused.  _ “Though…economic disparity is still a problem.” _

_ “Disparity is nothing when you put the effort in,”  _ Jumin argued.

Hayun’s brows furrowed a little.  _ “I can see why you might have that perspective, Jumin, but disparity concerns more than just resources. It’s psychological. For instance, a woman can do worse on a university-level test than a man with the same skill level simply because she is worried that if she does badly, she’ll contribute to the stereotype that women don’t excel in certain fields as much as men do.” _

_ “Hm. I never considered that. I wish to read on this further.” _

_ “Woah, I didn’t think you’d be the sort of person to know that stuff, Hayun!” _

She snickered out loud.  _ “Yoosung…I’m a woman. I know what implicit discrimination is like.” _

He gave his crying emote for probably the fifth time in a row during the conversation.  _ “That’s awful! I never thought you’d deal with that. You always seem so strong-willed.” _

_ “Like Jumin said, I have to be.” _

_ “If I may ask, Hayun,”  _ Jumin butted in again,  _ “would you say that you received more of this feeling while you were an active trainer?” _

_“Sure,”_ she replied honestly, pulling her mouth to the side in concentration. _“It’s tough out there to begin with, and there are plenty of gym leaders who are women, but there’s still a little bit of an assumption. I tend to just ignore it all.”_

_ “Ugh, hard work…”  _ Yoosung complained again, making Hayun laugh into her quiet room. Apollo and Artemis shot her a dirty look for waking them from their nap.

“Sorry,” she whispered aloud.

Jumin eventually offered Yoosung an internship at the C&R company during the latter’s off-term, which Yoosung snapped up no problem. He still made a lot of noise about how Jumin couldn’t possibly understand him due to being rich, smart, and handsome, but he accepted the opportunity all the same. Jumin supposed that having good looks actually worked against him, with all the scandalous articles and rumours of him being a wealthy playboy. Appearances made people assume a lot of things.

_ “Don’t even get me started,”  _ Hayun agreed quickly.  _ “Did I forget to mention that some people fetishize women trainers? It’s a menace.” _

_ “Women do seem worse off in that regard,”  _ Jumin acknowledged.  _ “If that ever happens to you again, Hayun, you tell Assistant Kang or me. We’ll get that straightened out.” _

_ “I’m hardly in the public eye,”  _ she reassured.

_ “Not until the party,”  _ Yoosung added. It made her pause. She worked hard to keep herself from the trainer spotlight; was that going to crumble around her?

Soon after, Yoosung was off again, leaving Jumin and Hayun alone. Out of everyone in the RFA, she was oddly comforted by his presence. 

_ “Ah, well. Everyone needs some way to spend their time outside of work. Perhaps for Yoosung, that is games,”  _ he noted. He mentioned V, as he usually did, and the worry that his best friend was no longer prioritizing what he loved most about his photography career. Artists often lost their inspiration after the death of a loved one just as often as they gained it. For Jumin, he was concerned that V wasn’t using his usual emotional outlets to express that grief. It was yet more evidence that the man was simply cutting himself off from all ways of dealing with the trauma of it.

The next time the chatroom was occupied, Luciel was very disturbed. There was no room for jokes, which made Hayun fully pause her reading to pay attention to. He’d received an email with information only he and V knew. Immediately, her mind snapped to Ray. He said he wanted to give 707 a surprise. Did he actually have something on this guy? Was it genuinely bad, or was he just told to play with the man’s emotions? Luciel was definitely spooked, talking about his identity and protecting his secrets. She knew he was a hacker for some mysterious benefactor, but it really did sound serious.

_ Am I too late?  _ she wondered.  _ Is the RFA already being hurt before I can stop it? _

V managed to talk him down, while she just remained silent, preferring to carefully watch their reactions. There wasn’t much she could say that would help, and she certainly did not want to hinder, either. At least, not until Luciel started to accuse her of knowing things about this hacker that had let her into the messenger in the first place. Only someone of that skill could know so much about him.

_ “Don’t look at me!”  _ she frantically typed, almost crying out the phrase aloud in alarm.  _ “I don’t know anything about this, honest!” _

V insisted that he would speak to Luciel soon, he just needed to be patient until he was in range for the call. Patience in 707 was wearing very thin, as he’d never texted or spoken to Hayun harshly in all the four days she’d known him. Then again, she’d never seen him quite so distressed. It hurt to watch. 

_ “I wish I could tell you if I knew anything,”  _ she admitted. Maybe Ray would be disappointed, since he so wanted her to like this, but she couldn’t conceal how she felt. Knowing that Luciel was real and feeling this way was too much.

_“I…”_ Luciel said disjointly. _“You’re not to blame. I know that.”_

They were both gone before she could fully process the stakes. To add salt to the wound, her door resounded with a knock. It was too early for dinner, and no others came to visit her except…

“Ray,” Hayun sighed, unsure whether to name it relief or exhaustion. Running a hand across the crown of her head and down the length of her short waves of hair, she pivoted to let him in, eyes downcast.

“Did you see?” he asked, his voice still quiet even as it was filled with excitement. It was a nice sound in her ears, softening her manner slightly. Ray set a few paces into the room, then turned to face her again after she closed the door behind them. “That 707 AI, he was so shocked! Wasn’t it fun?” He was practically beaming.

“You didn’t bring Fern,” Hayun observed quietly, making his smile fade. Suddenly, she brought her eyes to meet him again and weakened at his disappointed look. “Oh, sorry. I know you’re happy about what happened, but I—” She stuttered to halt despite herself. “I—” she tried again, resting a hand on one of the chairs by the table.

Ray grasped her free hand, ushering her to sit. “Please, Hayun,” he crooned ever so sweetly. “You’re not ill, are you? Did I do something to upset you?”

“No!” she blurted, refusing to take a seat. Instead, she twisted her wrist to break free and hold his hand sandwiched between hers tightly. His eyes widened at the action as she simply let them hang there, clinging to his long fingers. She squeezed, closing her eyes to collect her thoughts. “I’m sorry. It just…watching them, t-the AIs. It felt so real. It was weird.” She couldn’t have him realize that she knew the truth of it.

Ray stepped closer, resting his other hand on top of hers. He kept a respectable distance, but when Hayun tipped her head up to look at him again, she could tell he wanted to inch further. She almost wished he would. “It will make sense soon, I promise. I needed to show him pieces of his old life, rattle him…y-you won’t leave me, right? You still want to stay here?”

Hayun managed a nod, reminding herself over and over why she was there. It was all for this. “Yes. I’ll stay. I told you I wouldn’t leave easily, didn’t I?”

“And you mean what you say, I know that now,” he said, only stinging her further. “I saw what he said to you. I didn’t predict it, I’m sorry. It made me so mad to see him speak to you like that. He’s a selfish, horrible per—er, character. He thinks he leads a free life away from his past.”

“I feel better with you here,” she expressed. Yurim’s hooves clicked as he drew near and nudged her gently by the cheek and neck. A smile sprouted on her face with a low chuckle as she returned the action by placing her forehead on his. “Thank you, Yurim.”

Ray laced the fingers of their matching hands together, separating the pair into a more relaxed position low in front of them. His expression was hard to read as he watched her with the large deer Pokémon. “I was so excited to visit you, I forgot to bring Fern and the others,” he explained. 

Hayun’s brows upturned. “And I ruined that excitement for you. I apologize.”

“Your comfort is my top priority,” he insisted.

“And your happiness is mine,” she countered.

He blinked, then grinned with a bashful little laugh, looking down at his shoes for a moment. “Always one step ahead. It feels so nice hearing those things from you.”

“Tell me more about what you did, Ray,” she prompted, now swinging their joined hands back and forth a bit. “How did you change the game like that?”

He shrugged. “Simple really, but it took a long time to learn. You know, I barely knew how to use a computer a few years ago. But I worked hard…learned I had to change so I wasn’t left behind in a world that didn’t care about me. I wasn’t going to let myself become a victim of misfortune.”

“It’s made you strong and smart,” Hayun declared, setting one foot in front of her to get just a bit closer. She squeezed his fingers again. “Hearing you talk about what you’ve been through…it makes me want to share your burdens.”

“Never,” Ray whispered, his eyelids low as he gazed at her from below him, snowflake eyelashes weighing them down. “I could never let you feel such pain. You have your own troubles, and I want to wash those away, too.”

She shook her head, offering a small smile. “My pain—our pain—it makes us strong, and kind, and compassionate. It helps us understand others, so long as we accept our pain and turn it into something of beauty.”

Ray fidgeted, looking uncomfortable. “That’s not what my sav—superior tells me. I have to erase my pain, destroy its source, go after the things I want—” He brought her hands up to kiss her knuckles, his face burning pink. Hayun flushed equally, mouth a little slack in astonishment. “You said I could be a bit more forward,” he reminded her.

All she could do was nod.

Another step. They were only inches apart. He still held her hands up, now just hovering under his chin. “I know I’m shy but…I want to change that. I want to be more daring. Bolder. I’ll be able to be with you here, then. Right?” He didn’t wait for the answer. “If you stay, I’ll be more daring with you. When the sun sets, you can enroll here and become an official member. All I have to do is prepare everything for you.”

“Ray,” Hayun spoke, the strength returning to her voice as his words reminded her of her purpose. She couldn’t get lost in his syrupy sentiments. “I’ll stay, but you don’t need to change yourself for me. We’re friends. I’ll accept you as you are.”

“But you deserve so much more—” he stressed.

“There is no ‘deserve’ in friendship, Ray,” she rebutted sternly, though her volume was still hushed. “There is only us. Just being, exactly as you are. How you choose to change, that’s up to you, but don’t do it for me. Do it for you.”

He watched her eyes for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll try that.”

She instantly split a wide grin, spurring him on to smile as well. “Thank you. I know it can be hard sometimes.”

“I have to go again,” he nearly whined.

Hayun unclasped their hands. “Then go. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Heh. That’s right, you’re staying…” he trailed off, turning to leave. “I’ll see you later.”

“Mm-hm.”

Hayun stood rigidly until his footsteps receded from the door before she threw her arms around Yurim’s broad neck. “Arceus!” she swore quietly. “He is a hard nut to crack.” The Sawsbuck hummed, letting her know everything was going to be okay. The fact that he hadn’t tried to defend her meant that he still deemed Ray a non-threat. Even Siren, usually a high-strung Pokémon, simply watched from her spot in the corner of the room, nestled into her floor cushion. 

The ex-trainer was confused. Ray worried her on several levels, but she wanted to help. She wanted to be around him, that was no lie, but he was rooted so deep in these strange ways. The way he spoke, it was no wonder there was no relief for the pain in his life. It was destroying him. 

V tried to call her, but it was mostly inaudible. He said there was a problem with his phone earlier, and she was too mentally exhausted to give it more thought. Was this Ray’s doing? Maybe. She dozed off until dinner arrived, then noticed the sun beginning to lower in the glowing sky. What did enrollment entail? Vows? A contract? She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

In the chatroom, Luciel acted as if nothing bad happened. It was all a joke, he reassured them. _Fat chance,_ Hayun thought. She knew better than that. But then, he called her. He talked about loving ice cream, especially the kind you could split down the middle and share with a friend. She was quiet for most of their exchange, now sitting at the windowsill and leaning her head into the cool glass. His voice was quiet, thoughtful…it reminded her of Ray. As did the love of ice cream. 

“I shared it with this person…they are so precious to me. When I was a kid, ice cream would melt all my worries away no matter how terrible I felt or how hard I cried.” He sighed long, melancholy absolutely oozing from his words. 

“I used to have someone like that,” Hayun muttered, her throat tightening. Today had been so much, maybe it was okay to talk about it a little. Ray wasn’t ready to hear her troubles, but maybe Luciel could understand her right now. “I messed it up so bad…”

“What are you…what do you mean?” he requested.

Hot tears began to fall from her glossy eyes, but Hayun forced her voice steady. “Long story. This was about you.”

Luciel hesitated before carrying on. “Have you seen my Plusle and Minun?”

She confirmed that she had, not long ago on the messenger when he posted a photo of them.

“They share everything, always together. I wish I could share stuff with that person again…ah, I’m all filled up with thoughts. You’re so easy to talk to, but I should stop before I say more. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah. See you,” she bid.

The tone of her hanging up was the only sound before the struggling, restrained weeping began. She was trying too hard to keep it in, as soon as they were done, it all came spilling out. Artemis howled, soft and sad, joining her on the sill. Apollo came shortly after, whining in sympathy. Hayun began to laugh a little through her tears, drawing them in close for comfort.

“I’ll get it all out now,” she reassured them. “We’ve got work to do, don’t we?” She wiped the moisture away from her face and sniffled loudly. “We’ve got people to look after. Not just Ray.”

Having two Vulpixes to cuddle with was the perfect way to recharge her batteries. She still had a few dried berries in her pack and offered them to her companions to keep their spirits up. It was just as hard for them as it was for her. They cared for Ray, too, she knew, and though they didn’t really understand much about online relationships, they had a general idea of how she cared for the people she spoke with on the phone. Pictures of Zen’s Kirlia and Yoosung’s sheep Pokémon at least made them grow interested, though Hayun could tell that the twins missed Fern. 

V returned to the chatroom later that night, but just as she’d finally relaxed enough to feel prepared for whatever Mint Eye had in store for her, he dropped another bomb. He’d reassured everyone that Luciel was just fine and everything was under control, earning Hayun’s skepticism, but then asked her if she happened to have an important appointment that night. This was becoming far too spooky to be a coincidence. V knew _something_ about her, he had to. He had to have been _here._ Did he know about Mint Eye and what they were doing without telling anyone, or was it worse? Was he one of them?

It didn’t make sense. When she asked why he wanted to know, he brushed it off, instead asking her about the party preparations. She’d already coaxed several guests to come thanks to her mostly taking care of her dad’s online customer service inquiries for the business. The art of the professional email was an interesting one, but something she was already familiar with. Still, as their conversation continued, the gears in her brain turned in the background. V was the primary secret keeper of the RFA, and moreover, Ray really didn’t like him. There was no way he was affiliated with Mint Eye. So maybe he knew they were being targeted, but didn’t want to distress anyone? Jumin did say that his friend often tried to shoulder burdens alone.

He trusted her to understand. To take care of them, to plan for the party, to have compassion for Luciel. Hayun felt her heart latch onto them all, even as it stays securely attached to Ray as well. Then, at last, he announced the date of the party. 

_ “One week from today.” _

_ So soon, _ she thought, brows furrowing. Weren’t these meant to be large affairs? Perhaps, after Rika’s death, he wanted a small event to ease them all back in. If he was aware of Mint Eye’s targeting of the RFA, maybe it was to keep things manageable. But now Ray was closer to whatever his superior had in mind for these people. Destroying his enemies, he called it.

Hayun clenched her fist around her phone and glared out the window. “You all miss the taste of a real battle, don’t you?” she asked her team. Artemis and Apollo yapped and gekkered, Yurim dug his hoof into the floor a few times and bucked his head, and Siren stretched her neck up high, fluttering her diamond wings and clicking loud. Hayun smirked slyly, her muscles itching for the fight. “Good. Because I have a feeling we might need to soon.”

Her phone lit up with a caller ID. Ray wanted to speak to her, likely about this enrollment process.  _ Now or never. _

“Hi, Ray,” she greeted him smoothly, treating her voice in as much honey as she could manage. It startled her that it felt so natural so use such sweet inflexions. 

“Hayun, I’ve been wanting to see you,” Ray replied, breathing short in a little relief. “It’s such a beautiful night.”

She hummed thoughtfully, gazing down at the garden from her windowsill. “Perfect for a stroll, I’d say. How was work today?”

“Ah, well,” he laughed a little, the sound tired but happy. “I was double-checking something really important. Very delicate. I was all tense before, but your voice relaxed me instantly. I wish I could work next to you, but I might interrupt your playing.”

“Fern and Adora would get ever so jealous, too,” Hayun mused, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. She drew her knees up closer to her chest, folding one socked foot over the other. Apollo took it upon himself to slide in the cramped space between her thighs and stomach, so she pet him in long strokes as she talked. “How would you interrupt me, Ray?”

“Oh, I—mm. Talking to you more, probably.” He really had to think about his words, sounding flustered. It gave her a bolt of pride, but he gave her a run for her money. “Looking at you, wondering what you do between each chatroom log. I hold myself back all the time, so when my patience wears thin, I call you. Just like right now.”

Hayun’s face warmed like a stone by the fire, causing her to place her palm over her eyes in embarrassment. He wasn’t even here to see it, but it really felt like it. If he was a little crazy, hell, so was she. Most high-achieving trainers were a bit off their nut. 

Ray let out a drawn-out sigh. “I thought this would help with missing you, but now I just want to see you more. Do you feel that way, as well?”

“I’m always excited to answer when you call,” she confessed, the words just tumbling out as if she was compelled to match him at every point. Every phrase, every sentiment. “But speaking in person is always better. I get to see your little expressions, and your voice feels more…present.”

“You really like having me be with you…?”

Hayun giggled, her mouth forming into a smart grin. “Trust me, Ray. I’m a straight-forward person; you’d know if I didn’t like you.”

He let out a short chuckle. “I’m so glad. That reminds me, I wanted to ask: are you okay with bitter flavours?” 

One brow rose on her head. “Bitter? I think it has its place, but generally, I try to avoid it.”

“I suppose everyone hates bitter. I’ll try to make it sweet enough, so you won’t mind it at all…” he trailed off, the sound of his finger tapping on something making it through the call.

“Ray, what are you talking about?”

“Oh, I’ll tell you about it later. I’ve got so much to do to prepare for—well, you know. Your enrollment,” he dismissed.

She hesitated, trying to read into what he said, but then a disconnected thought popped into her mind. “Wait! Before you go,” she almost exclaimed, wincing to lower her volume. “Your headache. Is it better?”

“Huh?” Ray muttered on instinct. “Oh. Aha, you’re caring about me. I almost forgot that you do that.” It wasn’t meant passive-aggressively; rather, he seemed utterly elated. “Most people don’t care when I’m sick, especially when I was a kid. That makes me so happy.” He said the word ‘happy’ like it was a foreign sound on his tongue, every time. 

Hayun pouted silently. “Ray…I hope happiness becomes so normal for you, you never have to be so astonished.”

“I think my heart melted…” he keened quietly.

She hummed out a laugh, her chest vibrating warmly. “That’s even better.”

“I really do have to go, though,” he reminded, voice pained. “But before I do, I have some good news. I’m going to see you very soon, and I have a very important question for you. I’m certain you’ll give a good answer.”

“All my answers are good,” she teased.

“Only good answers from such a good place,” he countered, offering his own joking tone. There was a hint of truthfulness there, though, like he really believed it.

“Well—oh, you’ve trumped me,” Hayun chuckled.

“Then I’ll see you soon. Stay awake for me.”

“I can’t wait.”

It didn’t take long before she heard from him again. Hayun climbed out from the window and stretched long and high, her muscles shuddering in anticipation. She wanted to walk with him in the garden again. This feeling…it was like when she rode hard on Yurim, or when Siren took her above the trees. Her heart felt like a Rapidash, free and fast and blazing. It made her want to run, or fight, or just push all her energy into something. Right now, it was saving him. Digging him out of all this mess. Ray deserved better, and maybe, just maybe, he could be with her. For real.

Hayun moved to the dresser, a bounce in her step. At some point while she was training that morning, the staff had washed the clothes she brought and provided her with more. She decided to avoid the alien articles for now and pulled out a half-sleeved shirt with a high collar that exposed most of the tops of her shoulders. Just a few tiny buttons held the edges of the collar’s seams, preventing it from being entirely off-the-shoulder. It was simple, comfortable, and black, matching her short voluminous curls and highlighting her even complexion.

It was nearly eleven at night, much later than what she was used to staying up for. The earth had grown still and calm, slowing its thrum to a mere murmur as the Rookidee cries faded into the bluish shadow of the forest. Hayun was brushing Yurim’s fur out again and clumping it off the bristles to deposit in the trash when a double buzz alerted her to the chatroom being open. There was no surprise who it was. 

_ “You’re here…I must ask you one last time,”  _ Ray messaged,  _ “are you certain you want to stay?” _

_ “Yes, I’ll stay,”  _ she confirmed. There was no going back, nor did she want to.

He was ecstatic, sending her a rose-kiss emote. _“Once you make your contract, we can take walks every day!”_

_At least there’s that,_ Hayun supposed mentally.

_ “I’ve been thinking…you know they say that the last thought you sleep to determines how you feel the next day? That must be why I get nightmares so much and don’t get enough sleep. I’m always thinking about the ones who betrayed me. You said you had a bad dream a couple nights ago. Did you think of something terrible, too?” _

Hayun didn’t know how to answer that. Even if she had thought of something unpleasant, she certainly didn’t want to think about it now.  _ “I don’t remember,”  _ she replied honestly,  _ “but I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.” _

_“I want to make sure you always go to bed with good thoughts, Hayun.”_ It was probably one of the nicest things anyone other than her parents had said to her, though that wasn’t an incredibly high bar. _“It’s because I’ve fallen for you.”_

She actually had to pace out a circle into the floor of her room for a moment, running her hand into her hair as she held her phone in the other. Her heart tugged against her ribcage, aching at his confession. If he were there, she probably would have hugged him. Either that or been completely dumbstruck. Maybe both. 

_ “I like you, too,”  _ she disclosed.  _ “I was only looking for friendship when we first met, but…yeah, I have feelings for you.” _

_ “I like you so much, Hayun. When I wake up with bad thoughts, thinking of you clears my head right away. My heart’s racing right now.” _

_ “Mine too ^^,”  _ she agreed.

_ “You won’t ever betray me, will you?”  _ he asked.  _ “You won’t trust those AIs more?” _

She sighed, trying to prioritize what he needed rather than what she wanted. Ray needed trust. She’d deliver.  _ “White chrysanthemums, don’t you remember? But it’s a two-way street, Ray. You need to trust me, and yourself.” _

_ “You, I trust,”  _ Ray replied immediately.  _ “You came here all on your own, you weren’t an uninvited guest like those who betrayed me.” _

_ “That’s right,”  _ she pursued, feeling like they were getting somewhere.  _ “I decided to stay, because we’re equals, and I like you. We have to trust each other, and ourselves.” _

_ “Myself…all I’m good at are computers, I’m useless otherwise. Except, I feel like a fantastic person because you like me. I want you to stay by me and give me your burdens. I’ll protect you from harm.” _

Hayun paused, wondering if this was what they promised him. Protection. Happiness. Purpose. It wasn’t uncommon for cults to use such false comforts to keep people close. They needed their members to depend on them. It seemed that Ray was putting all those feelings on her.  _ “Ray, you’re a fantastic person, even without me. You’re intelligent, resilient, kind, you love your Pokémon, and you love flowers. That’s amazing, all on its own.” _

_ “All I want is for you to stay so I can protect you,”  _ he repeated, not acknowledging what she said. For now, maybe it was enough.  _ “Even though I’m barely useful, I’ll do anything I can to keep you safe. I’ll come for you, now. We’ll walk in the garden and talk more.” _

_ “I’ll be waiting,”  _ she farewelled. 

Ray logged off, leaving Hayun to shove the phone in her back pocket and pace. She tugged on her hair and earlobes, trying to ground her reality. Siren’s eyes followed her movements. Hayun meant every word of what she said, he was really wonderful to her, but he didn’t quite understand. It was hard not to simply talk some sense into him sternly, but he could easily collapse like a house of cards as soon as he sensed that she was displeased in any way. It was hard, it was work, but it was worth it. Little by little, he was detaching himself from the tendrils of Mint Eye.

Footfalls, then a knock. She’d started to notice that Ray’s shoes made a different sound than that of the other members in the building. His steps were light, and the soles had a softer ring in the hall. As soon as she opened the door, he grasped both her hands and kissed her knuckles in the same way he’d done earlier that day, a wide closed smile lighting up his handsome features. 

“It feels like a dream,” he uttered, his joy infectious. Hayun, for her part, was already softening to his innocent charm. “You’re staying. I knew I was right to listen to Saviour. She told me if I worked hard, I’d become useful. Now I can entertain you for the moment, at least.”

“You don’t need to entertain me,” Hayun exhaled, his smile warbling slightly. “All I want is for you to be yourself.”

“It won’t be enough,” he murmured, dipping his chin and glancing to the side. “You’ll see. You’ll get tired of me, and—well, I can change. Don’t worry.” She was about to protest, but he didn’t give her the chance, squeezing her hands and stepping close enough that she could feel his body heat. “Holding your hands like this…it tells me I’m not just dreaming. I’m not going to wake up all alone, am I?”

Hayun tilted her head up to match his gaze with a little smirk. “Let’s give it a test. Together, okay?” She pinched her cheek hard enough to leave a red mark, then shook her head to get rid of the sting, her dark curls flying about. 

“Aw, don’t hurt yourself,” Ray almost whined, letting go of one hand to run his thumb across the irritated spot.

She beamed up at him. “Nope, not dreaming. You really are this pretty.”

Ray’s cheeks and nose reddened with a blush. “O-oh…” Then, he did the same, pulling back from her face to tweak the delicate pale skin on his cheek. He winced at the pain, squeezing his eyes tight, then reopened them one at a time. As soon as he saw her in front of him, he returned his hand to the side of her face, cupping her jaw fully with the most tender expression. “Not dreaming,” he agreed.

Hayun leaned her head into his hand, face thoroughly warmed by the romantic attention. Then, she perked up, realizing something. “You’ve forgotten your Pokémon again?”

Ray shook his head, appearing amused by her small distress. “They’re already in the garden. We shouldn’t keep them waiting. Besides, there’s something really important we need to talk about.”

Hayun blinked curiously, then nodded. Her Sawsbuck and Flygon were returned to their Pokéballs, and the twin Vulpixes trailed behind them on foot as they made their way down to the garden. Once past the threshold of the garden and with all Pokémon released to freely roam the beautiful green space, Ray continued his speech as he led her through the circled paths and linked their hands.

“You’re free to roam wherever you want around here once you go through the enrollment procedure. But…” He hesitated, taking the time to watch her step over a steel construction beam securely. 

“But?” Hayun inquired cautiously. 

Ray’s expression twisted slightly, appearing to think hard and with some regret. “You have to have an elixir. Not the kind to give Pokémon endurance in a fight, but one for humans. It can be painful, the way you prove yourself. At least, it was for me.”

Hayun’s blood warmed, but this time out of alarm and a hint of panic. “That’s…unexpected,” was all she could force out.

“Listen, Hayun,” he urged, turning to face her fully. The grass underneath them yielded to a particularly harsh step as he blocked her pacing. His brows were knit together and his gaze piercing, alerting her to the intensity of the situation. “You’ve accepted me the way I am. I’ve never had anyone do that for me. Over just a few days, you’ve really shown your true colours with no inhibition. So now I need to ask…would you trust me, no matter what I told you?”

_ Depends on where his words are coming from,  _ was her first thought. Still, the critical manner that he delivered this request made her second-guess completely lying to his face. He deserved better than to be lied to from everyone. She squeezed his hand. “White chrysanthemums,” she invoked, almost glaring back at him in determination. 

His face instantly softened with relief, and a short breath rushed out of his mouth. “I knew you’d say that. The truth is, I don’t think you need this elixir, or the orientation. You’re exactly what we need, just as you are.” His tone changed, and she realized that he wasn’t just spewing words he was told. He wasn’t thinking about the betterment of Mint Eye, he was just thinking about _her_. All the same, she felt her shoulders relax at the news that she would not be forced to consume some sort of chemical that did Arceus-knows-what. “Normally, we make people drink the elixir so they can see the truth and believe in us. The side-effects are painful, sometimes…just like they are for me.”

“Ray—!” Hayun stressed, the worry pulling at her face. She leaned in a bit and cupped the side of his face, just as he had not minutes ago. “You’re still taking it?”

“Only when I really need to,” he returned, placing his hand on hers to keep the contact going. He closed his eyes to enjoy the warmth of her palm, then said with glossy eyes: “It’s why I couldn’t bear to see you like that. I can’t watch you be in pain. So, it’ll be our secret, alright? If anyone asks, you’ve taken it, okay?”

She nodded firmly, finally seeing a clear path. It was working, he was working _with_ her for this. Her confidence swelled, but she could only focus on his slender jaw against her fingers and his pretty, downward look. Ray reluctantly separated from her so they could walk side-by-side again. Her heart stilled, and she smiled at how Yurim was helping Adora into the higher tree branches she couldn’t reach. 

“Let me tell you about this place.”

Ray explained that Mint Eye did not develop software in the manner first advertised, but rather offered a place for those who were tired of the pain of the outside world. It was a paradise for the abused, the hurting, the downcast and trodden upon. They called it Magenta, and it clicked into place for Hayun. The stories from other regions—Team Rocket, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team _Magenta—_ all cult-like criminal organizations known for their desire to destroy or transform societal norms against people’s will. Often, they were also cruel to Pokémon. But Ray’s Pokémon were happy creatures, so perhaps this was one thing they weren’t horrible at. 

In a world where the strong prey on the weak, Magenta was the place where you could discard your trauma and move on, and this human elixir helped with that. To a certain degree, she could understand his perspective; those in power did make life hard for those without it but using some sort of drug to forget the past was _definitely_ a drastic way of dealing with that. Besides, if Ray’s pattern of repressed thought was any indication, it wasn’t working. 

Hayun knew trauma. She knew heartache. It was something one carried with them all the time, but not as a ball and chain. Sometimes it slowed her down, but she’d learned to pick it up and bring it around with her in life, a constant reminder to consider what others were feeling. She was still that Tauros in the china shop to a degree, but she understood others much better than when she was a child.

Ray also confirmed that the ‘game’ she was playing was, in fact, not a piece of fiction at all. The RFA were real, and they were threatening everything Mint Eye was. He told her about how V and 707 had hurt both him and this ‘saviour’ person even before Mint Eye and Magenta were founded. It clued Hayun into the fact that this was not only very much a personal vendetta, but Ray had a personal relationship with his superior, as well.  _ All the easier to poison his mind _ , she supposed. As it turned out, this was the whole reason they needed her, a neutral, uninvolved party who could spark the party into happening and providing Mint Eye with information. 

“I don’t want to talk about those two anymore,” Ray said, his voice strained and his look hard and cold. “You’ll get to meet Saviour soon enough. We’re trying to save the other members of the RFA, but V…he only wants to destroy us. I was near death when Saviour gave me my will to live again.” He paused, glancing at her. “You don’t seem very surprised by all this.”

Hayun blinked up at him. “Ah. I already knew they were real.”

Ray halted in his tracks, eyebrows completely disappearing into his bangs. “You  _ knew? _ ”

She shrugged. “Since…last night. I figured it out.”

Instead of asking how, he just looked astonished. “You’re so smart.”

“Pfft. You should’ve seen my grades in school. Painfully average. There’s a reason I decided to go the Pokémon trainer route.”

Ray slowly began walking again. “I’m so sorry I deceived you for so long. You’re so gracious, you hardly seem to mind at all.”

_Maybe I’m numb to it already,_ she humoured to herself. “I told you, I knew we were kindred spirits. I figured things would sort themselves out eventually.” 

“We had no expectations on the tester, but…you’re so amazing. Nothing like those horrible people in the outside world. Hayun,” he called. She stopped and turned, putting her weight on one hip and tilting her head quizzically. Ray padded up to her and reached out, now holding her face in both hands. She folded her fingers around his wrists, keeping him there. “I’m so used to fighting for everything in my life. With you, I’m finally…at peace. I’m so glad to have met you.”

“It’s been some weird few days,” she sighed, still piecing all the parts of her brain together. He pulled her apart at the seams, and then stitched her back up in just one conversation, exposing all her vulnerabilities so easily. “I am so happy you were in them, Ray.”

“Do you think…if we can save the RFA together, we could just carry on, living? I could finally have a life of comfort. Saviour said I wouldn’t have to fight forever.”

Hayun knew that was a beautiful lie he was sold. In a place like this, he would always be fighting. He was at war with himself. Magenta and this ‘saviour’ was only feeding that conflict.

“All we need is to hold the party. Then—”

A rustling behind an orange-blossomed rose bush nearby made them both gasp in fright, tearing apart and almost leaping back. At first, Hayun thought it might have been Siren or Yurim, but she could see them with Ray’s Pokémon in the opposite direction. Instead, it was a tall man in strange, intricate dark robes, his hood drawn up to shadow his face. He slid out from behind the break in the bush’s branches but kept his distance.

“So, that’s what she made you do,” the man spoke, sounding tired and broken.

Hayun’s mind raced while frozen in fear. Ray flinched back, but then drew right up to her defensively. “W-Who are you?” he demanded harshly, sounding equally afraid as he was commanding. His increased volume made their Pokémon turn their heads to the commotion. 

“Saeran,” the man said, still addressing Ray. 

Hayun heard Ray make an infuriated and choked noise, his face screwing up in anger and pain, and she snapped out of her startled trance. “Yurim, to me!” she cried, and the Sawsbuck charged straight for them. He tore up the path and halted right in front of the hooded man, antlers pointed forward in offense, nostrils puffing out threatening breaths, and front hoof digging into the earth where he stood sturdily. The man recoiled in terror before he realized that the deer-like beast would not move until given further instruction.

Hayun scowled at the uninvited guest. “You will speak plainly, sir, and quickly.” Ray just blinked owlishly at her in astonishment. Yurim rumbled low from his barrel chest, emphasizing her words.

“Hayun,” the man addressed her. “I had come to rescue you, but it appears I’m too late.”

“You’re—” She was interrupted by Ray.

“ _ You… _ ” he accused, already seeming to know exactly who this person was. “Ugh, I knew it,” Ray hissed. “No matter what I do, someone will always get in my way.”

“Saeran, please calm down,” the man hushed gently.

“You’re V,” Hayun discovered, thoroughly bewildered. “This is…this is how you knew about me. You were  _ here. _ ”

He lowered his hood slowly, as to not trigger her Sawsbuck. “You remember my voice.” His appearance was exactly like his pictures; a lean man with aqua-colored hair and eyes and a mature, fine-featured face. He looked dishevelled and…exhausted. Awful, really. Worn out from worry. “I’m sorry that this is how we meet. I was going to get you out of here tonight, but I no longer think I’m able to do that. From what I’ve heard, you seem to trust him more than the RFA.”

“V,” Hayun started, his assumption cutting into her. 

“Of course she wouldn’t believe a filthy liar like you!” Ray spat, bracing his arm in front of her. “Stay back, Hayun. He’s dangerous.”

Yurim heaved out another lungful of air through his nose and shook his head to draw attention to his antlers again. Their other Pokémon had begun to draw close as well, watching and waiting for any sign to defend their owners. “No, Yurim! Don’t hurt him,” Hayun exclaimed. 

“It pains me to see you like this, Saeran,” V continued, raising his voice slightly to get it across. “I’m sure this is all my fault.”

“I’m not falling for that. You don’t feel guilty at all!” Ray retorted, his Eevee leaping up onto his shoulder to growl and yap at V in retaliation. 

V’s jaw clenched. Hayun could only watch in combined confusion, fascination, and concern. “I’m not the one who’s lying to you, Saeran. Please, just listen—” He stepped forward, gesturing openly to them. 

All their companions startled, and Ray pushed her back with him. “Get away, get away, get away from me! Don’t you dare touch Hayun!” His tone was sounding much more panicked than threatening. 

“You learned how to hack the messenger from your brother, didn’t you?” V asked, gaze flickering between them and Yurim’s solid presence beside him.

“Brother?” Hayun muttered in interest, looking at Ray. 

“I’ll beat that red-head. She told me I had to—!”

“Hayun,” V said to her softly. “You were going to find out, anyway, so I’ll tell you now. This…’Ray’ and 707 are twins.” 

Her eyes widened. It all made sense. They looked alike, spoke of having similar pain in their childhoods, even Ray’s personal hatred of the man fit. That sibling love…it had been twisted up by everything Ray had been through. He even bleached his hair out to separate himself…?

“Shut up! I don’t have a brother,” Ray growled, his voice growing hoarse from overuse. He never sounded so angry and sad. Hayun placed her hand on his back, trying to reassure him. Everything was swirling chaotically around them, and all she could think to do was keep her Pokémon calm and stand by Ray. “I cast that part of my life away years ago.”

“I promised him I’d keep you safe…and look what I’ve done to honour that…” V faltered. He reached into his pocket for something, and Hayun tensed. Pokémon, perhaps? She really didn’t want a fight right now. But as he stepped towards them, it was only two small pieces of cardstock. 

“No! Stay away from me!” Ray whimpered, backing up even further than where Hayun was standing. The sudden motion forced Fern to return to the ground, but she still fluffed up her fur with spirit. 

V offered the cards to him, though Hayun couldn’t see what was on them from where she watched. Yurim strode up to her side, and Siren let out a string of slow and tense clicks. “I know you were heartbroken as much as you missed him.”

“D-don’t make me take this,” Ray struggled out, eyes glued to the cards. “Saviour will be so mad if I take them. I n-never saw them.” He was starting to sweat. Hayun clenched her fists; she wanted to protect him, but this wasn’t her matter to solve. She barely knew anything about it!

“You’re shivering in fear while trapped at her side. My heart is wrenching…” V murmured, but it was enough for Hayun to hear. He knew that Ray was being manipulated. He knew in an instant.  _ Just what is this guy? _ her mind shouted.

“You’re here to torture us all! Just like you did to her,” Ray insisted, rubbing at his neck and coughing in distress.

“I’m sorry that things turned out like this, Saeran…”

“Help!” Ray cried, lifting his head to scan the garden for other members of Magenta. “Someone, help!”

“Alright, I’ve heard enough,” Hayun announced harshly, marching up to plant herself firmly between them. She looked V square in the eye with an out-turned palm towards him. “Leave or Yurim will chase you off the property.”

“Hayun, I’m sorry this is how our first encounter turned out,” he rushed as she walked him backwards, already hearing the sharp shouts of the Magenta crew recognizing Ray’s call to action.

“Yurim, protect Ray,” Hayun ordered, leading V away just enough to whisper without being heard. She gave the older man a pointed look. “Listen to me,” she said faintly, causing V’s brows to rise. “If you care about Ray, you need to trust me. Give me those.” He handed over the cards and she tucked them into her waistband. “I’ll keep them safe. I’ll keep  _ him _ safe.” She grasped his shoulder for reassurance. “V, I’m fighting for all of us. I won’t say anything in the chatrooms, you have my word. Now go.”

He didn’t have the chance to respond, only looking at her once with wide eyes and ducking out of view to escape the quickly encroaching Team Magenta. Hayun double-backed, meeting Artemis and Apollo halfway before reaching Ray. The Mint Eye subordinates rushed out into the woods beyond the hedges, leaving them alone.

Ray sounded like he was on the edge of a panic attack, breathing rapidly even as he stood in place. His eyes were wild until he saw her, then he exhaled sharply with a scowl. “Is he gone?”

“I’m not certain they’ll catch him,” she observed, rubbing Yurim’s nose bridge and head affectionately as she approached.

“You’re safe?” Ray inquired, closing their distance to hold her head in his hands again. It seemed to be his new favourite thing to do around her. Hayun grasped a hold of the edges of his coat, unsure what else to do with her hands. She nudged her cheek into his palm.

“I’m okay. I think we’re all a little spooked, but it’ll be fine.” She ran her hands along his forearms as he rubbed his thumbs against her cheekbones. “How do you feel?”

Ray leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. “I-I—”

Hayun shut her eyes. “Shh, you don’t need to talk if it hurts, flower.” The pet name fell out of her mouth before she could stop it. She referred to Pokémon with all sorts of sweet little monikers like ‘sweetheart’, ‘honey’, ‘love’, and more, but this was a new one. Then again, she’d never used one for another person before.

Ray whimpered with his mouth closed, moving his head so their noses brushed. Then, he sobbed. It was small at first, so small she almost didn’t notice. He inhaled harshly and sniffled loud, making her eyes snap open. Even with his eyes closed, large clear tears were pouring from them, making his fair eyelashes clump and stick. His face was pink from the exertion, and the space between his eyebrows wrinkled in despair.

“Ray…!” Hayun whispered hoarsely, her voice scraping in discord from the pain she felt through him. 

“I’m s-so sorry,” he slurred, starting to pull away and withdraw into himself. Lily let out a high-pitched whine in sympathy, and some of the others joined in. “I’m so pathetic…! A-And w-w-weak.”

“No, Ray—”

“M-Maybe it’s impossible…” he stuttered. “Maybe I can n-never make you h-ha—”

He was cut off. Hayun lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his waist and ribs, coiling around him in a tight hug. She buried her face down into the soft fabric of his jacket and frilly cravat, hot tears beginning to form in her eyes as well. At first, Ray didn’t know what to do with himself. He flustered, making a small string of startled noises through the garbled crying, but eventually embraced her back.

“Ray, something really scary just happened to you,” Hayun mumbled into him. “Cut yourself some slack.”

“B-but I couldn’t even protect you,” he sighed brokenly into her ear, pressing his jaw against the side of her head. “You protected me.”

Hayun squeezed harder. “And it’s my Arceus-given right to do so!” she insisted, tilting her head so her chin rested up on the corner of his neck and shoulder. “You call me precious all the time, so why can’t you see it? You’re precious to me, Ray. Fragile and resilient and kind, all at the same time.”

“I can’t—” Ray said, shaking his head but still not letting go. “I don’t deserve you. Why are you still here?”

Hayun drew back just enough to look him in the eyes. They were still wet and raw, but so beautiful and blue. “I gotta have the last word, remember? You’re stuck with me,” she grinned at him. Her arms slinked between them to reach up and wipe away the wet trails on his face. He wasn’t smiling, but he did stop crying, and his warm palms spread and pressed into her back carefully. 

“I don’t understand…” he murmured to her.

“I hope you will someday,” she replied.

He hummed. “We should…go back. You must be so tired after that. Your Pokémon look stressed.”

“One sec,” she said, linking her arms around his neck and hugging him one last time for the night. Their bodies were pressed together as close as physically possible, and Hayun wondered why she hadn’t done it before. Ray audibly sighed into her neck, filled with contentment.

Walking hand-in-hand, they returned to her room quietly, still processing the events of the evening. Once at her door, Hayun gave an encouraging smile, but was much only with melancholy. Ray held his arm in one hand and slouched, trying to look small.

“I understand if you don’t like me anymore,” he said in a tiny voice. Hayun opened her mouth to protest, but he placed two leather-gloved fingers over her lips. “No. I want to have the last word. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. Please sleep well.”

Ray spun on his heel and stalked down the hall, leaving Hayun in her open doorway with nothing but her worry and confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, my emotions.


	6. Day Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's that time again, get ready for more of our sad boi. Slightly shorter chapter than before but things are going to get longer from here.

V made it plain that he did not want Luciel going after the hacker himself. He couldn’t specify why to Jumin, but he did acknowledge that he and Hayun now shared a very important secret. While she understood that this was definitely something that they needed to keep to themselves, she felt very uncomfortable with V framing this just like every other thing he concealed from his friends. He told her not to worry, just to watch out for herself.  _ This man has control issues, _ she noted internally as V requested Jumin to take over the hack investigation. For her part, she didn’t say much, not wanting to cause a scene.

If it were up to her, Hayun would carry Ray out of this hell hole even if it took fighting tooth and nail, but this was so much bigger than just her. It was exhausting just to think about, but she was still far too stimulated to sleep. Once V had excused himself, Jumin continued to speculate about the circumstances, and finally, she saw her chance to inquire about the nature of his friend’s relationship with Luciel. V was a guardian to Luciel, like an older sibling, along with Rika. Hayun wracked her mind, trying to connect the dots of what occurred today. V knew about Ray—or ‘Saeran’, as he called him—and he knew something about this ‘saviour’ person. Did he leave Saeran in someone else’s care, only to have that person betray his trust?

Hayun sat on her bed in a loose shirt and sweats that acted as pajamas and glanced at the two pieces of slender cardstock on her nightstand. They looked like bookmarks, both decorated with simple watercolour impressions of flowers. One had daisies and a green border with ‘Saeran’ scribbled along the bottom. The other had what looked like red poppies or camellias, accented in blue and subtitled with ‘Saeyoung’.  _ Twins, _ Hayun pondered, running her fingertips along the edges.  _ So, Luciel’s real name is Saeyoung. I’ll have to pretend not to know that. _

She let out a long sigh and watched her Vulpixes sleep at the foot of the bed, curled into one another like the crescent of the moon. The vibration of a phone call made her jump, and she huffed in annoyance at herself.

“V, I’m surprised you’re calling right now,” she said dispassionately, not bothering with a greeting. Her mind was tired, but her body still fidgeted. 

“This night had been filled with surprises, especially for you,” he acknowledged quietly, seeming to choose his words very carefully. “I have an understanding that you believed the RFA to be part of a game. Is that correct?”

“After last night, I realized it wasn’t. Ra—certain parties filled me in from there,” she halted, realizing this was going to be harder than she thought. With everything that Ray could do, she needed to assume they were being listened to at all times. 

“This might sound odd, but I’ve been monitoring you for some time,” he admitted. 

“Next time don’t tell the person you’re stalking that you know what kind of Vulpixes they have without having any good reason to know,” she returned, tone flat and sharp.

“A-ah, right.” V cleared his throat. “I know you’ve gotten close to…that child. He relies on you, and you’ve seen what a weakling he is.”

Her brows snapped down in reflexive anger. “No, he isn’t.” The statement came out quickly and harshly. “He’s also not a child.”

V hummed thoughtfully, always remaining calm in the face of conflict. That kind of irritated her. “Perhaps that is how you see things. I’ve known him for a long time. I saw how he tried to protect you…I need you to watch over him.”

“You  _ know _ that I will,” she replied, meaning more in the sense that she literally told him she would earlier that evening. 

“Thank you, really. I’m very afraid that I will not be able to handle everything on my own. Everything I do is for you, Saeran, and the RFA.”

Hayun bit the inside of her cheek, resisting the very strong urge to say  _ huh, it’s almost like this is a direct consequence of your actions.  _ Attacking him personally would not make him more willing to share, and she needed everything she could get. “V, I need you to do something for me, as well.”

“I will do what I can.” A very non-committal response.

“I need you to understand that the ball is now in my court, not yours,” she explained coolly. “You need to let go of this iron grip you have on this situation if you want what is best for Ray.”

“There are many aspects of this that you are not yet privy to, Hayun,” V warned. 

She scoffed in a mixture of disbelief and painful humour. “Maybe not, but at least I have a clear idea of what I need to do. You see, because you’re not telling me everything, I know that there is something else you’re working for. My priority is Ray, and the RFA. Let me know when you’re ready to let go of your control.”

A few heartbeats passed before he spoke again. “I see that you care about this very much. I’m grateful for that. One more thing, before I hang up,” he avoided. “Please carry on with the party preparations as planned. If it were to be interrupted, the responsibility will fall to the child, and…well…don’t think too much about that.” He sighed. “Please take care of yourself. And please take care of him.”

“Talk to you soon, I’m sure,” Hayun drawled with widdling patience.

“Yes, goodbye.”

Hayun rubbed her eyes while taking a deep breath through the nose. People like him just really pushed all her buttons. She was wound as tight as a spring, getting that familiar desire to smack control freaks upside the head. Maybe she didn’t have a full picture of all the cogs in this particular clock, but she understood her place in it all. Where was V, when Ray was being toyed with by the leader of a cult? How could he not notice?

She was used to not getting much sleep when several clutches of eggs in the nursery decided to hatch in one night. Or at least, she was used to waking up at a moment’s notice in order to work. But tonight, her heart was heavy and her mind charging ahead like a train engine. As soon as she’d managed a couple hours of shuteye, several notifications popped up on her phone. She’d fallen asleep with her phone in her hand in case Ray called her as he worked, but this discordant pattern she recognized as 707’s texting rhythm. 

_ “You’re still up?”  _ he asked with a cute little questioning emote.

At least she could still smile through this. Her dad would be proud. _“I’ve been sleeping light. Thinking too much, I guess.”_

_“Ooh—? About what?”_ Luciel teased. _“You thinking about someone special?”_

She blushed, that image of hugging Ray or having him kiss the backs of her hands replaying in her mind.  _ “Something like that.” _

_ “Ohohoho…is this perhaps…L-O-V-E??” _

Hayun rolled her eyes. _“Now you’re just playing around. I don’t think I’ve ever been in love.”_

_“Heh, neither have I!”_

_ “Neither have the others, from my understanding. Aside from V, of course. I’m certain there’s hope for all of us,”  _ she replied.

_ “Nah, Jumin is hopeless,”  _ he continued to joke, trailing off far further than she intended the conversation to go. 

The real reason he was there so early in the morning was to lament about V’s instruction to leave the hacker investigation to Jumin. Luciel obviously really wanted to go after this guy, not just because he was temporarily bested. She remembered that Ray had sent him something…something about his past he’d rather forget. Considering their now transparent connection, it must have been something that concerned them both. Why else would Luciel freak out so distinctly?

Hayun felt caught between a rock and a hard place. How could she continue to comfort the RFA members without lying through her teeth about what she knew? Avoiding specifics, she simply encouraged that everything would turn out alright, and that maybe having two expert hackers duke it out over the web wouldn’t be the best resolution to the conflict. While he agreed that dodging a bad fight would be ideal, it wasn’t very realistic. 

_ “This hacker…they’re smart. Like, really smart, Seven.” _

_ “Is that meant as a warning or your lack of confidence in me? T.T”  _ he asked with fake tears.

_ “…can’t say. Sorry.” _

_ “Do they have something on you? Is that why this is happening?”  _ he asked, now texting with proper phrases and punctuation. She’d realized that meant he was in serious mode.  _ “You know that we’d help you, no matter what, right?” _

Hayun's eyes teared up a little. _“Nothing like that. Just don’t forget what I said.”_

Luciel conceded, carrying on as if nothing happened and kept joking around for a bit before leaving to work again. If there was one thing that he was good at, it was switching subjects and reverting back to abstract musings. Hayun remembered her dad telling her once how, oftentimes, those with the best senses of humour were those hurting the most. It plucked at her heartstrings uncomfortably, wondering how he had felt during all this time away from Ray, or Saeran, or whatever his true name was.

The 707 caller ID cast a bright light against the ceiling above her.

His voice was soft and quiet, the same timbre he used when he spoke about the person that he missed most…sharing ice cream with a friend. Ray loved sweets, as he told her several times. The pieces were slotting together, only she didn’t feel better about it. “Hey…” Luciel spoke, trailing off a bit to form his next sentence. “You got time to talk?”

Hayun shifted a bit and rolled to her side, pulling the bedcovers up over her shoulder. Her voice was so low, it cracked a bit with her whisper. “Yeah, what’s on your mind?”

“You’re probably trying to sleep but—it doesn’t matter, I’ll talk twice…no, sixteen times the speed so could you—”

“Luciel,” she cut him off calmly, just now realizing how much he sounded like Ray when he was like this. Their voices had a different sound, but the qualities of them drew together in more tender moments like this. “Honey, relax. Let’s just go one word at a time, alright?”

“ _ Honey? _ ” he echoed in surprise.

She let out a short chortle, realizing what she’d let slip out. “Sorry, I do that to the Pokémon I’m taking care of at the nursery. I guess, being awake this late, it reminded me of staying up to take care of new hatchlings. You’ve got me in ‘big sis mode’.”

“Heh, ‘big sis mode’, huh? I think all the members could use a stubborn overprotective older sister right now.” He hesitated, and she waited. “I just…feel like I’ve been smashed to pieces. Ground up into sand, being thrown around.” A heavy sigh passed her ear through the phone, making her mind tingle in recognition. It was _so much_ like Ray.

Hayun drew in a lungful of air and let it out again through her mouth to match his pensive mood. 

“Oh? Still thinking about that special someone, or are you just challenging me to a sighing battle?” For just a moment, his voice regained that playful nature. “Sorry, I don’t know what I’m talking about anymore. Everything that’s happened with V, I—it hurt my pride, alright? It’s like a teacher watching you struggle with the homework and deciding it’s too advanced for you, and then giving you an easier assignment. Oh, hang on.” 

A rustling came from the other end of line, and what sounded like him making a noise of exertion. Then he settled back into his chair. 

“My Plusle wanted to sit in my lap. You noticed I was blue, didn’t you, buddy?” 

Hayun grinned from hearing him coo at his Pokémon. “There’s something so special about having a pair. I’m certain that my Artemis and Apollo would love to meet another set of twins like them.”

“Yeah, my little guys don’t get out much, just like me. Sometimes I send them to a daycare, but…hey, I should send them to your dad! Order them to be on their best behaviour.” He chuckled at something near him but didn’t mention what it was. “I wonder, if my life had taken a different path, would I enjoy being a trainer?”

“You’d make an excellent gym leader for an Electric-type gym, Seven,” she returned instantly, almost excited by the idea. 

“Woah, you said that with some enthusiasm!” he hushed out. “You know, when I tried to do some digging about you, there wasn’t much…you’ve led a pretty small life, it looks like. Pretty common surname, and I didn’t even know where you worked. But I did find you in the gym challenge registry. You won all eight badges in the region.”

Hayun hummed in reaction, not really minding that he knew. She’d freely mentioned it to Ray, after all. “Yeah, that was a while ago. I was still just a kid. Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

She could hear him shrug. “Wasn’t relevant, and I figured if you wanted to talk about it, you would.”

“It’s not something I regularly advertise. Everyone always asks, ‘Hayun! Why didn’t you challenge the Elite Four? Why didn’t you battle the Champion?’ as if it’s any of their business.” The spite was evident in her words. “Oh, sorry about that.”

“Sounds annoying. Too much pressure, like when the boss asks me to do all this stuff but all I want is to goof off and drive my babies…” The babies being mentioned were, of course, his sports cars that he prattled about every once in a while. She guessed he wasn’t as motivated to work for his boss as he was for the RFA. “Ah, I’ve got all this energy again thanks to talking to you. And this guy, of course—!” he mused. “I’ll talk to you later. You should get more sleep.”

“Mm-hm. Later,” she sent off.

Luciel wasn’t the only one who benefitted from the conversation. It was easy to drift off this time, and soon, the sun woke her in its own reliable way. It was very early dawn, the time she usually rose when at home. During the springtime, that was a more reasonable hour, but lately nothing felt like a reasonable hour. 

Hayun left her bed to greet Yurim by the window, taking in a bit of sunlight and patting his neck as she checked her phone. Artemis, Apollo, and Siren were still fast asleep, or simply in denial about their wakefulness. The chatroom was open, and Ray was waiting for her. She found it very likely that he never went to bed in the first place. What was odd, however, was how he’d changed the background of their chats to the same one used by the RFA: a sky full of clouds. Was he just tired of looking at all those broken strings of code behind their texts? 

_ “Ray, I’ve been so worried. You left me so fast last night. How are you feeling?” _

_ “I don’t deserve your caring,”  _ he stated simply, adding a crying emote.  _ “Are you and your Pokémon alright? I’m sure you were so disappointed in me…” _

Her brows furrowed.  _ “Disappointed? What are you talking about? You’ve been hurting so much…my heart aches for what you must be going through right now.” _

_ “I thought I’d grown stronger,”  _ he confessed sadly,  _ “but I was mistaken. The whole world is against me, and now my dreams will never come true.” _

_ That’s a little dramatic, _ Hayun observed silently. She knew folks with anxiety; this was a very normal pattern, though she didn’t often suffer from it. Considering what Ray had been through, it was no surprise.  _ “This wasn’t your fault. Please, don’t blame yourself.” _

_ “You’re so kind and strong, even now. I boasted that I could protect you, but I’m so weak that you’re the one protecting and caring for me.” _

Her first reaction was that this was some masculine standards nonsense, but Ray was not a person who aimed for that sort of thing. He openly expressed his love for flowers, sweet things, cute Pokémon, and he dressed a bit effeminately. Not to mention he very plainly stated his desires and emotions, was quite shy, and even cried in front of her, but those were all things she loved. Things that were very different from her. 

_ “You do so much to protect me, Ray. You’re keeping me away from the elixir, providing this wonderful floor just for me and my Pokémon, and you watch over the chatrooms.” _

_“You really think so? But nothing I do is ever enough, and I don’t want you to hate me. I must become better so that never happens,”_ he insisted again.

Hayun typed faster than she ever had in her life.  _ “I could never hate you. I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me. That’s what a good friendship is. It’s reciprocal. I don’t want you to change yourself for me, you’re enough just the way you are.” _

_ “No, you’re wrong…I’m a moron. From birth, I’ve always been this way. I hurt everyone I love.” _

_ “Never, no one is like that from birth. You’re hurting…all I want is for you to see how wonderful you are.”  _ She hardly noticed how her breaths came out more rushed and rapid.

_ “I…I hate myself. I’m glad you’re still here, but…I have to prove myself.” _

She hated this. It hurt so, so bad. Her blood was warm, her chest ached, and her senses dulled as all her focus was on him. It hurt because she liked him so much. It hurt because she knew what it was like to hate oneself. Hayun was the sort of person who soldiered forward, but not everyone was built like her. Thank Arceus for it, because if everyone was like her, no one would stop to really deal with anything regarding their personal emotions.

_ “Ray, please. You have nothing to prove.”  _ she asserted.

_ “But I have to work…I have to be useful,”  _ he protested.

Hayun shook her head even though she knew he couldn’t see it. _“Who says what is useful or not?”_

He ignored the question.  _ “I’m such an airhead, but…I’m glad you haven’t left me yet. I have to go. Thank you for speaking with me.” _

Ray left the chatroom. For a heartbeat, she thought she’d scared him away, but her screen changed to his caller ID and her phone vibrated in her hand. She never picked up faster in her life.

“Ray,” she received happily. 

“Thanks for picking up,” he greeted, voice small and unimposing. “I’m not supposed to call when I’m working, but…I wanted to make sure you’re okay. You…are, right? Nothing bad happened while I couldn’t talk to you?”

Hayun deflated, the muscles in her shoulders unwinding just at the sound of his voice. “I’m perfectly fine, but I’m worried about you.”

“I’m sorry for being a nuisance,” he said, making her close her eyes in apprehension. Maybe it was better to not give Ray the opportunity to interpret her concern as trouble. “By the way…if V tries to tell you strange things, just don’t listen to him. And uhm…”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be just fine,” she repeated gently. 

“Ah, you read my mind again. Good…I couldn’t handle seeing you uncomfortable or in pain. If anything happens, just tell me. Anything at all.”

She didn’t want to ask what he thought might happen to her. “As long as you visit me once in a while, I’ll tell you if something is wrong.”

Ray made a stuttered noise in thought. “Yes…yes, I will make the time. I can’t lessen the time that I work, so I’ll have to shorten when I eat or sleep…”

She quickly backtracked. “What? Wait, no, don’t do that. You need rest; you’re running yourself ragged as it is.”

“Mm, it’s okay. I can’t really sleep that well because of the nightmares, so talking with you will be more restful,” he told her. 

“Well…you can call me whenever you want, Ray. Remember that.”

Ray’s voice turned a little happier at that. “And I’m always here for you. I know you have your Pokémon, so you’re never truly alone, but if you want human company, I’m continuously thinking of you. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“But—”

“Oh, Saviour’s looking for me. I have to go. I’ll talk to you later, Hayun.”

“O-oh, bye,” she squeaked out, hearing him hang up far too soon. 

Hayun resolved that there was nothing she could do for now. She was restless from inaction and having to wait for windows to appear to her. Training would take her mind of matters, at least momentarily, so she brought all her Pokémon over to the simulation to sweat it all out. They’d begun to notice her troubled expression and clouded thoughts, but she put their concerns to bed with a few words. They’d been through hard times before.

She’d just stepped out of the shower, patting out the water from behind her ears when Yoosung and Zen’s banter in the chatroom caught her attention. They seemed to often be there together, and while Zen was a little harsh, it was clear that he spoke to Yoosung out of a brotherly sense of obligation. Or perhaps a desire to guide the youngest member. Yoosung made his annoyance with the nagging very plain, but Hayun just found it mildly amusing. Their high spirits continued to lift her up when her reality weighed down heavily and darkened the corners of her mind.

Yoosung was venting about how his mother didn’t understand him, or care about his grief over Rika’s death. His hostile emotions struck her quite close to the heart even as Zen reminded him that his family were people with their own problems too. 

_ “Family comes in all shapes and forms,”  _ Hayun added.  _ “There are moments when I regret what I’ve said to my parents when I was younger, but I’ve come to have a better understanding of them now that I’m an adult. What’s important is to not lose yourself, neither to their expectations nor your anger.” _

_ “You have no idea what it’s like to have people look out for you like that,”  _ Zen continued to the younger man.  _ “Pokémon are one thing, but we need people too. I don’t think it’s healthy that you’ve walled yourself up by yourself with no one but your Mareep and Wooloo…” _

_ “Hey, that’s…”  _ Yoosung began to protest.

_ “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,”  _ Hayun recited.  _ “But that doesn’t mean you should completely give up on your kin. Approach with understanding, or you may regret hurting the people around you as you get older.” _

He eventually had to rush off to class, and Zen signed off soon after. Hayun changed into a fresh set of jeans and a flannel button-up, staying in the bathroom to do so out of the general paranoia of being watched. It should’ve been one of several signs that coming here was a terrible idea, but there was no use in scolding herself for that now.

Her phone buzzed harshly against the top of the dresser. It had been a little while since Zen called her.

“Hey, are you free to talk?” he asked immediately, making her face slack in a bit of surprise.

Hayun let out a little tone of affirmation. “I mean, yeah, sure.” Siren padded up to the ex-trainer with the dragon’s scale wax container in her small mouth and tittered. “Sweetheart, I’m talking to my friend right now. Can you wait?”

“Aw, your voice was so adorable just then!” Zen gushed, a silky laugh following. “Is one of your Pokémon craving your attention?”

“Siren, my Flygon,” Hayun explained in slight embarrassment as the overgrown dragonfly lizard backed her up against the edge of her bed and gently head-butted her to sit before depositing the capsule into her lap. “Pfft. She really wants me to wax her scales because I gave her a scrub today. Do you mind if I put you on speakerphone? It’s just me and the gang, so don’t worry about eavesdroppers.” 

“Of course.”

Hayun switched the call over, placed the device beside her, and twisted off the cap of the wax before dipping two fingers in. She started with Siren’s neck and the base of her wings, the Flygon clicking in contentment from the chance to be close to her trainer. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Ah…it’s not that big of a deal. I just felt a little down after talking to Yoosung like that.” Zen sounded like he wanted to say more but didn’t know how. “I dunno, you were there, and I thought talking to you would help.”

“Family can be a touchy subject,” Hayun thought aloud, her mouth pinching into a firm line as she worked the wax into the tight chainmail hide. “You sounded like you knew a thing or two about that.”

“You sounded like you knew about it, too,” he replied. “All I had growing up was my dream. My family…was not the priority. We don’t have a great relationship. I haven’t even spoken to any of them since I left. Watching Yoosung reminded me of a forgotten time.”

She slowed for a moment, fully considering what he said. “I don’t know what your family was like, Zen, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have one of your own. I may only have been around for a few days, but I can see that the RFA is steadfast.” She didn’t care if Ray could hear. Zen needed truth from her right now.

“You’re right. I have people like you and Jaehee cheering for me and consoling me. And Seven, too. People still tell me it’s a hard road and that I’ll never make it. But I’m still proud of myself, that I soldiered on and made my own path. And I could finally have a Pokémon when I left.” He laughed again, this time with a lighter sound. “I have no regrets. What about you, Hayun? You said you felt guilty about something with your family. Do you want to talk about it?”

Siren rested her chin on Hayun’s knee as she worked through the delicate skin around the dragon’s red eye visors and tiny nostrils. “My dad and I are super close, as you can imagine. Working with him at the daycare and nursery set my life on the right path, but…when I was a kid, my mom really didn’t want me to go on my coming-of-age journey, while it was everything to me. We fought a lot, and I went anyway. I wish I could’ve left on better terms, because it made me very bitter about people trying to control me.”

“You must still talk to her, though. Unless she and your dad are separated?” he inquired.

Hayun clenched her jaw before answering. “She died while I was gone.”

“Oh…” he murmured carefully. “I’m very sorry, Hayun. That must’ve been…well, we don’t have to talk about it anymore.”

“Thanks, Zen,” she said, smiling a bit as she swallowed. He was definitely the most empathetic and compassionate of the group, perhaps because artists tended to be rather sensitive.

“I’ve got an audition later…and I should probably check on Yoosung again,” he sighed. “Honestly, he’s like the younger brother I never had. Technically grown up, but still cute and immature. I can’t help but take him under my wing, you know?”

She giggled. “Sure, sure.”

“Don’t sound so sarcastic!” Zen deflected. “Especially after gracing my ears with such a pretty laugh.”

Hayun rolled her eyes. “How unbearably saccharine. You’re a despicable flirt, you know that?”

“Can’t waste these good looks, after all.”

“Zen, we’re on the phone. I can’t even see you right now.”

“All the better to tease you with.”

Siren lifted her head to make a distinctly animalistic jeering noise at the phone lying on the bed. It started out low in her throat and quickly pitched ear-piercingly high, though it was very short and not nearly as loud as she could get. Hayun burst out laughing.

“What on earth—!? Hayun, are you okay?” Zen cried out, only making her bust her guts even more.

“Th-That was Siren,” she managed to tell him through her calming chuckles. “She’s decided she doesn’t want to hear your heckling anymore.”

“Ugh, rude!” he declared, most insulted. “I thought Flygons were supposed to sound like a woman singing!”

“Only when they’re flying, and I wouldn’t exactly call it that,” Hayun mused. “I’ll have to let you go. Can’t have her scream the place down.”

“Well, it was nice talking to you anyway,” Zen smoothed over, returning to a more tranquil manner. “Have a good day with your shrieking dragon.”

“You should hear her when she’s really mad.”

He scoffed playfully. “I’m out of here.”

“Ha-ha! Bye.”

Hayun pressed the button to hang up and gave her green companion a pointed look. Siren looked rather pleased with herself, even having the audacity to swing her tail around and nudge the container of wax closer for more. The ex-trainer shook her head but continued anyway.

“You’re such a brat,” she scolded with affection. “Once you’re all glossed up, I’ll take you for a sand-bath, and then off to bed for a nap with you.”

Siren trilled happily, wiggling a little in place from the anticipation. 

During lunch, Hayun had a perfectly normal and pleasant conversation with Jaehee, as she usually did, in which the young PA posted pictures of her Togetic sharing a chocolate croissant with her for lunch. Then, Jumin crashed their party, shattering Jaehee’s beautiful illusion with more business talk. Now that he was in charge of going after the hacker, he’d decided to put the affairs of the RFA in connection with the C&R intelligence unit. While Hayun approved of the idea, she worried that this would only expose more information to Ray, and by extension, Team Magenta. It was risky, but progress often took risk; a sentiment Jumin would likely agree with. Moreover, he appointed Jaehee as the head, and while this completely bewildered her, it was obvious that she’d be a very level-headed commander of the whole affair. 

The businesswoman reflected on her concerns after Jumin left. Hayun expressed her desire for all of this to be just a misunderstanding, and that they could work their way towards a peaceful arrangement. She so desperately hoped that Ray saw it and would take her words to heart. Jaehee was inclined to share her sentiments, as she too was not gunning for an enormous conflict.

Hayun passed time in the afternoon answering guest emails. They were a little…odd, to say the least, but she’d gotten the hang of catering to everyone’s interests and researching the details of their careers to better accommodate their needs. She had no idea if she’d even be able to attend, if all went to plan. Then again, said plan was little more than the general concept that she would convince Ray to blow the whole joint that was Mint Eye. Little by little, she would help him understand that being controlled was not the way anyone should live.

News of Ray came indirectly through Luciel. He was still in charge of defending the messenger and all of the RFA’s sensitive information, which meant that when Ray moved, his unknowing twin had to match him at every turn. The hacker was working hard and fast, exhausting Luciel, but all Hayun could think about was trying to estimate how much sleep Ray had gotten in the last couple of days. Zen returned to celebrate his getting the part in the production of ‘Zekyll & White’ he auditioned for, which brought her back to focusing on her new friends. He didn’t just get any old part, but the main role of the play, so she had to help him celebrate.

Yurim actually laid down on the floor in a pool of sunlight from the window, legs folded carefully under him, and motioned his head for Hayun to join him. Apollo was sprawled out on the windowsill to soak in as much heat and he possibly could, and Siren crouched nearby, fluttering her wings in the shine. Only Artemis stayed away, but she was satisfied with the cool seat cushion in one of the chairs by the table. There Hayun dozed off, leaning up against her loyal elk friend for time enough that she was startled alert when Jaehee sent off rapid texts in celebration of Zen’s new role. She was so excited that she even called the ex-trainer to gush about his success and discuss ticket purchase strategies. 

Towards dinner time, Yoosung was horrified to discover that Luciel’s peculiar energy drink was actually in stock at convenience stores. As if summoned by an enchantment, the man himself, 707, appeared in the chat. After an amusing back-and-forth thanks to Yoosung’s astonishment and Luciel’s ability to turn anything into a funny situation, Hayun suddenly stopped to consider all of it. 

The sense of happiness she had, not just watching them, but offering her own little quips and phrases of encouragement, made her realize that this was something that she never really had. Friends and rivals along the Pokémon trainer road were common, but once she started working with her dad, all that mattered was the business and the service they provided to such amazing creatures. A warm fondness grew, but it was a different flavour to the feelings she harboured for Ray. It made her feel like maybe, just maybe, everything was going to work out. Not because of her stubbornness, or her forceful ability to power through troubles, but just because they were there.

Yoosung and Luciel had very little in common when it came down to their base characteristics. Perhaps that’s why they got along so well. Luciel was the master of moving on, pulling his humour through it all. Yoosung cried at spilled milk. They spoke about dreams, what to live life for; it was a rather profound conversation for them.

_ “Life is filled with mistakes, problems, negative emotions…”  _ Hayun began, depressing them both.  _ “Hang on, I’m not done. What I mean is, whatever your dream is—and it doesn’t have to be bombastic or dramatic like Zen’s—it gives us hope. Faith. All the bad stuff recedes, and even getting out of bed becomes a victory. It’s something that no one can choose for you. Entirely yours.” _

_ “But I don’t have any dreams…T.T”  _ Yoosung whined.

_ “I mean, I’m hardly one to judge. You shouldn’t listen to a guy like me, I can’t even do my job right,”  _ Seven remarked.

Maybe they didn’t catch on to what she was trying to say, or maybe she said it poorly. But if Ray saw it…that was worth it. As for her, the hope that she could return to a quiet life filled with caring for Pokémon was enough. 

The sun was setting the next she spoke to Ray. She was lying on her stomach on the bed to card through only the second book she started since being there, a slow reader. She’d found the ‘Language of Flowers’ book, the only one with a cracked spine. The notifications from his activity in the messenger were fast and disjointed, initially making her think he was in some sort of trouble. Instead, it was several texts of strings of code.

_ “Ray?” _ she asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

_ “Huh?” _ he responded immediately.

It was probably a mistake, but she wasn’t complaining.  _ “You must be very busy. Did you eat something recently?” _

He just gave a quizzical emote.  _ “Oh. I opened the chatroom by accident. I’m sorry…” _

_ “I’m happy to see you.” _

Ray gave in, unable to resist such a simple but pleasant statement.  _ “I wish I could talk but…I need to work. I should remember my place. I’m just glad you’re still here.” _

_ “I don’t plan on going anywhere without you.”  _ That much was the complete truth. There was no way in hell she was going to walk out of this messed-up place without him.

_ “Really? What can I do to deserve such a thing?” _ he begged instantly, making her mouth twist into a disturbed frown. What had this ‘saviour’ person  _ done _ to him? 

_ “No conditions. I just want us to be together,”  _ Hayun emphasized. It was frustrating, but not because she was mad at him. She just needed to be patient and keep reminding him.

_ “Sorry? I don’t understand. Oh, but just so you know, you’ll be able to roam the building as you please tomorrow. You and your Pokémon can be in the garden all day if you like.”  _ There he went again, avoiding the subject.

_ “Thank you, but are you going to be able to take a break? Please look after yourself.” _

_ “Don’t worry about me. I don’t deserve your attention. I’ll never be perfect enough before, but if I try really hard, I can at least be someone you don’t hate.” _

Hayun felt her heartache begin all over again. It hurt so bad to care this much, but it couldn’t be helped. It was too late to go back.  _ “What matters more is how you think of yourself.” _

Ray paused.  _ “Myself?”  _ He took a little while to consider it.  _ “I’m a moron. I didn’t even know that V was here all this time. I don’t think even Saviour believes in me anymore…” _

_ “V didn’t seem like he wanted to hurt anyone,”  _ she speculated, grasping at straws a bit.  _ “I think he just wanted to talk peacefully.” _

_ “Don’t believe his lies, Hayun,”  _ Ray returned without any hesitation.  _ “I’ll never let him get close to you again. But…if I can’t get something accomplished by morning, I won’t be able to see you.” _

_ “You’ve been working so hard…don’t you think it’s wrong for Mint Eye to force you into something so demanding?”  _

_ “No, I have to prove myself useful,”  _ he recited again, his words becoming a bracing pattern.  _ “There’s still something that bothers me, though…can I tell you? You won’t hate me?” _

_ “I could never hate you. You know that. It’s okay, you can tell me.” _ Hayun licked her lips and adjusted her weight on her elbows, eager to see if he was finally starting to unlatch from these poisonous ideas.

_ “Alright…”  _ It was plainly some effort for him to explain.  _ “I’m so afraid that Saviour will find out I made you one of us without taking the elixir. It’s my greatest fear. It’s the only thing I hate about this place, since it’s so painful, and I couldn’t watch you go through it.” _

Originally, Hayun thought that perhaps his superior did know, considering how loyal he was to her. She remembered him saying that it was their secret the night before, but still, this meant he was willing to defy orders, at least a bit.  _ “You took a risk protecting me. Thank you, that means more than you know.” _

_ “Don’t thank me,”  _ he told her again.  _ “The elixir is for people like me…people too stupid to understand Saviour. But you don’t need it.” _

_ “I don’t think you need it either. Please, don’t. Not if it hurts you.”  _

_ “I can’t even take care of myself,”  _ he protested.  _ “I don’t know what’s best for myself. I’m an airhead…but if someone tries to make you take it, tell them I’ll bring you some myself. Promise?” _

Hayun quickly flipped through the pages of the book in front of her.  _ “White clover! I promise.”  _ She giggled awkwardly, despite herself.  _ “Wish I could give you some.” _

_ “Ah, that makes me feel so much better.”  _ He sent a questioning emoticon.  _ “Have you been studying the meaning of flowers, too?” _

_ “I’ve got the book right here. I can tell you’ve read it a lot. Makes me feel closer to you ^^,” _ she admitted, her face warming a bit. 

_ “I’m sorry if the book is worn out…”  _ Ray apologized.  _ “You’re being so nice, but all I can think about is how bad I want to protect you. I know I’m not good enough, but please don’t leave.” _

This was the epitome of clinginess, but Hayun shook that thought away. Ray was going through a lot. He needed help, not her mental evaluation.  _ “I won’t leave. I just hope that your heart will find peace, and that you’ll learn to love who you are. Because I think you’re pretty great.” _

_ “You mean it?”  _ He used a bigger font to illustrate his amazement.  _ “I’ll do whatever I can…I’ll suffer whatever I need to as long as you’re here.” _

_ “Please don’t suffer for me…it would break my heart. You deserve better.” _

_ “No, I don’t…I’ll suffer everything if it benefits you.”  _ A few long seconds passed before he continued.  _ “You’re still comfortable in your room, right? Temperature okay?” _

_ “I’m just fine. Missing you, but fine.” _

_ “I miss you, too. But don’t think about that…I need to go.” _

Hayun lolled her head to one shoulder, letting out a reluctant groan. She needed more time with him for everything to become clear. That, and she just wanted to talk about more pleasant and normal things, like when they were in the garden together.  _ “Alright, but come back to chat again?” _

_ “I hope that I can.”  _

Ray’s sweet smiling emote was the last thing she saw before he disappeared, leaving her alone in a normal chatroom. Hayun let out a long sigh and logged out. She could feel herself getting gray hair just trying to think of how anyone could twist up Ray’s thoughts in this way. She’d seen what he really was: gentle, intelligent, curious, affectionate. Those things were still there, but they were so stifled by this weird mentality, this insistence that his life was of no value.

For a somewhat amusing moment, Hayun’s mind flickered to the idea of just kidnapping him and breaking out. She wasn’t even sure if it was possible, but it didn’t matter. It wouldn’t really solve his problem, since she’d just be forcing him elsewhere. Ray didn’t need to be jerked around on strings any more than he already was.

The night came quickly, and Jumin returned from a long day at work. The arrangement of the intelligence unit was proving time consuming for both him and Jaehee, but like most of the other members, he did agree with her call for peace between the hacker and the RFA. For now, he was pleased to wind down a bit, which interestingly, included the ‘challenge’ of cross-stitching, as he called it. Yoosung had a similar hobby when he was young but considered it too boring. Jumin, on the other hand, found it a good teacher of patience.

_ “I could afford to learn more patience,”  _ she mused absently, already tired from staying up the night before.

_ “It was a key aspect of my business training growing up,”  _ Jumin remarked.  _ “You struggle with this virtue?” _

_ “Often. My life is very structured, generally, but I meet anything unexpected with vigour to get the job done. Only, sometimes I need to stop and think about the execution, rather than be so eager to strike out something on my to-do list.” _

_ “Such an attribute is usually a good thing,”  _ Jumin observed clinically,  _ “but sometimes a steadier hand is necessary. Has it caused you much trouble? Perhaps I can offer some advice.” _

_ “I’m afraid my current problem is of an interpersonal nature, but thank you, Jumin.”  _ She knew the man struggled with such things.

_ “I’ll admit that is not my strong suit, but I’d like to ease your mind, all the same.”  _

Hayun’s brows rose up on her forehead. It appeared that Jumin was trying to…console her? She was inclined to pursue it.  _ “It’s rather delicate. There’s this person very close to me. They are being hurt by someone, but they don’t see what’s wrong. How do I help them understand that they deserve better without being too forceful? I don’t want to exert my will over them when they need confidence in themselves.” _

_ “That is quite complicated,”  _ Jumin agreed.  _ “Perhaps it is time to recognize that it is not your responsibility to bring them to the truth.” _

_ “Maybe not, but…I’ll continue to care for them. If they see me valuing them, maybe they’ll understand what is so valuable about themselves,”  _ she supposed. As it turned out, he was right; she did feel better talking about it in no uncertain terms. His advice, while lacking a softer edge, was not unlike the encouraging words of her father.

_ “I can see that this weighs on you,”  _ Jumin noted.  _ “I hope that it resolves agreeably. You should know, it is quite remarkable that you are putting such emotional effort into someone in these circumstances.” _

_ “Ha, I usually only put so much time into Pokémon, but…I guess we can’t help the people we care for, can we?” _

_ “Indeed.” _

They discussed hobbies some more, their favourite ways to take breaks from work. Hayun again hoped that Ray was watching so he knew that it was important to look after oneself between stints of busyness. Jumin said goodnight, and she saw it as her opportunity to get ready for bed. She wasn’t ready to sleep immediately, but it was always nice to settle in and get warm with Artemis and Apollo for a while before actually drifting off.

Slipping under the covers made her realize how oddly sensitive her nerves were. She took the time to work her fingers into the collection of muscles at the back of her neck and shoulders, imagining it like a twisted old oak or witch’s hazel tree.  _ Life is full of twists and turns _ , her father said,  _ and that’s why we get knots in our bodies _ . Humans were filled with flexibility and plasticity; adaptable and so easily deformed, but each went through their own paths whether by their own decisions or others’. Some looked the same, but each was unique if you paid attention. 

_ And if you’re very, very lucky, you’ll find someone twisted up in the opposite way as you, but your match in every way,  _ Hayun recited internally. That’s right. She and Ray were very different people. Yet care for him was planted in her heart so early, so bizarrely, she couldn’t help but care more. There was no going back. 

Hayun drew in a deep breath through her nose and roughly carded her hand into her short, bouncing wavy hair to rub at her skull. “Patience,” she sighed. “Everything will be okay.”

Something buzzed. She pawed at the bed to locate where her phone went under the covers and pulled back to find Ray was calling. She smirked to herself, noticing that they must’ve been thinking about one another at the same time.

“Hayun,” he greeted, voice a bit weak and subdued. “How was—” A loud cough spontaneously rippled from his throat, and he pulled the phone away from his face to spare her from the sharpness of the noise while working through it. “Sorry. How was your day?” 

Hayun paused in smoothing her fingers along Artemis’ tails one-by-one. “You don’t sound so good…”

“It’s alright. It’ll get better since I’ve taken the elixir Saviour sent to me,” he said. She had the very distinct feeling that this elixir was likely the cause, not the remedy. Humans weren’t made to ingest weird cult chemicals with the exact same name assigned to a substance known to give Pokémon, literal super-naturally gifted creatures, better endurance in a battle. “The elixir will help make this weak body stronger, and improve my mentality, so she said…”

“Why do you listen to Saviour, Ray? Tell me more.”

“She is the one who gives refuge to all those who are too weak for the outside world. All those suffering. She is creating a world where we can all live without pain.” Again, his voice didn’t sound like his. It sounded like he was reciting something he memorized, something he was told over and over again until it stuck. They weren’t his thoughts.

“But you’re suffering right now,” Hayun continued cautiously. 

“That’s because I’m useless. I need to take the elixir to become strong, and I need to suffer through working hard in order to become even better. Nothing is gained without pain.”

“Really? I’d say I like you without much effort.”

“Ha, you’ll understand soon. I’m really hard to like…but don’t worry! I’ll improve. Just…don’t leave.” The combination of discomfort and evident ache in his voice plucked at her heartstrings. 

“I’m worried about you. You’ve been working so much…when was the last time you saw Fern? Or Adora and Lily?” she asked.

“Oh, sometimes I have one of them sit with me, but…I disappointed Saviour so much, I don’t have time to take care of them. So, they’re in their Pokéballs right now, where they won’t get hungry or tired.”

“I can look after them for you, if you want. You can just tell the other staff—uh, believers—to bring more food for them to my room.” She paused for just a tick. “But, you know, it would be best for you to take a break and be with them. I’m sure they miss you.”

“I can’t—I couldn’t even visit you today because of all this work I need to catch up on, I—I’m so sorry—I—”

“Woah, woah,” she hushed lightly, leaning forward a bit and staring intently at one square of the quilt while processing all the thoughts flying about in her skull. “Ray, take a nice long, deep breath for me. Through your nose.” She heard his lips part to contradict her, but then did as she asked, the sound of the air moving into him right by her ear. “Good, now out again through your mouth.” He sighed a bit at the end, a pretty noise that made her smile. “There. What’s one thing you like, love, and hate, off the top of your head?”

“I hate the taste of the elixir,” he snapped immediately, though his voice was still quiet. “I like you,” the same answer as that first night they met, “and I love the way your voice makes me feel. Thinking about us being in the same place, I feel motivated to work. Even just talking to you now, I’m feeling my strength coming back. Thank you so much for—Oh, I’m prattling on, aren’t I?”

“I’m happy to listen to you talk. I’m relaxed just hearing you,” she reciprocated.

“That’s a relief…” he trailed off. Then another cough. “When…all of this is over, what is it that you want from our paradise? What would make you the happiest, so I know what to work on for you?”

“Hmm,” she hummed in thought, the sound reverberating low in her chest and head. “Well, let me close my eyes to picture it. Close your eyes with me, let’s imagine it together.”

“Alright,” he breathed in a combination of confusion and wistfulness. “They’re closed.”

Hayun licked her lips. “We’re in the garden, in that clearing with the arbour. There’s a blanket in the grass, and we’re lounging in the sun with our shoes off. Lily is eating sweets, Fern is playing with Artemis and Apollo, and Adora is taking a nap on Yurim’s back. That tall alder tree by the hedge is casting dappled shadows on us, and Siren’s wing-song is our lullaby as we laugh and doze off. You’ve been getting more sleep, so the dark circles under your eyes are less obvious, and you’re smiling. We’re holding hands and looking at clouds.” 

She embraced the heat pooling in her face, accepting the embarrassment and delight together. Ray’s quiet paced breaths were audible from the other end of the line, and their conversation took a natural pause.

“It really does sound like paradise with you,” he murmured. “What can I do to make this your reality?”

“Be yourself with me. Always. I want the truth of who you are,” she said. “I hope that someday, you’ll come to understand the truth of who you are, too. I hope that you share it with me.”

“I—oh, there are footsteps outside.” For a moment, his tone constricted in paranoid horror. He sucked in a lungful of air. “I have to go. But first, uhm…sweet dreams.”

“I’ll wait for you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Hayun meets the leader of Team Magenta.


	7. Day Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one of my favourite chapters! If you remember what happens at the end of Day 6 in Ray's route, you'll know what's coming. Oh, also, a shit-ton of foreshadowing.

Hayun fell asleep early for once in the past few days. Even when Zen was in the chatroom, she didn’t wake, far too relaxed by her conversation with Ray to mind. The nights were still cool and Yurim preferred the window open, so she held her Fire-type Vulpix in her arms to keep cozy, her nose buried in the fluff of his head curls. 

Apollo twitched, sensing his sister shuffle off the bed and approach the door of the room. Artemis was used to hunting at night and early morning in the cooler temperatures back at home, so she’d often leave and return as Hayun slept. Stuck in this room for the time being, she simply sat by the door and listened to the activity of the building. 

The white ice fox let out a very high-pitched whine, the kind of sound that Hayun couldn’t hear. Apollo’s ears flicked to attention, but he wasn’t yet ready to acknowledge it. Then she began to scratch. First the floor, then the door, then she returned to the bed to leap up and tread carefully to both the sleepers’ heads. Artemis made a closed-mouth howl that turned to a hum. Something was wrong. 

Apollo lifted his head and blinked open his big dark eyes, peering at the door. Artemis did the same, still standing to attention on the bed. The red-furred Vulpix inhaled deeply through his nose, drinking in the myriad of scents in this now somewhat familiar place. One thing stood out. He nudged Hayun with his snout.

“Snhrr, hm?” the ex-trainer mumbled wiping the sleep from her eyes. “What’s wrong, honey?”

Apollo stood up, wiggling out from between her arms, and stepped in line with his sister. Yurim, who was still sleeping standing up at that point, huffed quietly as he watched.

Hayun dug her phone out from under her pillow and checked the time. It was nearly one-thirty in the morning. She briefly scrolled through another conversation between Zen and Yoosung regarding the former’s new role, and then resolved to read it later. Turning the screen off, she returned her fuzzy focus back to her Pokémon. 

“What’s wrong?” she repeated.

Artemis bounded off the end of the bed and swiftly made her way over to the door, her brother following right on her tail, and then looked back at Hayun.

“Someone’s coming?” she asked, knowing that look. “Is it Ray?”

The Ice-type Vulpix licked her little black nose. She wasn’t waving her tails or pitter-pattering her paws like she did when she wanted to play with Fern. Her ears flicked and her eyes were wide.  _ Anxious. _

“I’ll take care of it,” Hayun told them, climbing from her warm bed in a pair of loose running shorts and a baggy shirt that nearly slipped off her shoulder to pad barefoot to the entrance of her room. Her movement brought Siren back from the land of the dead, the large reptile lifting her head to watch on guard. “Go back to the bed, you two, it’ll be alright.”

The twins obeyed, but before Hayun even touched the door handle, the distinct rhythmic clicking of a pair of heels approached in the hallway. She pushed the slider for the room lights twenty percent of the way, just enough to see reasonably well without it being too painful for any of them. 

A soft knock resounded from the other side of the threshold. Hayun purposefully waited a few moments to make it seem like she wasn’t already aware of her visitor’s approach, then opened the latch, blood pumping hard in her ears with just a twinge of fear.

The person standing on the other side was a woman in a simple, stylish black dress that exposed her arms and a teardrop window cut into the chest of the fabric. She was petite, at least a few inches shorter than Hayun and very slender. Her hair spiraled out in ringlets and waved not unlike the ex-trainer’s, but it was very long and a golden flaxen colour. She wore a rather elaborate black mask that covered most of her features except for the lower third of the face and her bright green eyes. Around her waist, a thin black rope belt strung four reduced Pokéballs, each one of the luxury variety.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you so late for just an introduction,” the woman spoke, her voice feathery and beguiling. “I simply couldn’t afford another time.”

Hayun was a little dumbstruck but moved to let her in anyway. Her acceptance of the stranger caused her companions to relax somewhat. The woman glided in elegantly, hands held folded in front of her at the wrist. She took in the room for a moment before continuing: 

“So, you’re Hayun…”

Said individual left the door open just an inch, a band of bright light from the hallway striking up the visitor’s figure as she turned to face the ‘game’ tester again.

“Ray told me so much about you.”

Artemis, Apollo, and Yurim all fluffed up their fur somewhat. In turn, the hair of the back of Hayun’s neck rose up and her spine tingled dangerously. A bit of a flight-or-fight instinct began, making her muscles itch for movement. The commanding and dangerous aura oozing off this woman was unmistakable. She was the leader of Team Magenta. The Saviour of Mint Eye. The abuser and manipulator of Ray.

“I’m sure it was frustrating being trapped here, for all of you…” She glanced around at each of Hayun’s companions. “I can’t thank you enough for waiting patiently and having faith in us.”

_ Thank me by letting go of Ray, _ Hayun thought spitefully. Her Pokémon battle poker face was the only thing keeping from this woman noticing the blatant disdain radiating off the ex-trainer. “Your organization has been very accommodating.”

The slightest pleased smile uplifted the masked woman’s visible features. “I’ve heard you’ve been doing an excellent job in the RFA chatroom to help us,” she informed her. “Oh, but where are my manners? I’m sure Ray has already told you, but I am the founder and director of this place. You may call me Saviour.”

Hayun nodded politely, training herself into the mentality of someone obedient. It was in direct contradiction to her natural personality, but if she could make a convincing first impression, then hopefully that would carry her to the end. She didn’t have just herself and her Pokémon to think about anymore. “You already know my name, but this is Yurim, Siren, and the twins, Artemis and Apollo.”

Saviour’s large green eyes lingered on the sibling Vulpixes. “Twins…how sweet.” Her pause made Hayun switch her weight from one hip to the other. Saviour blinked, appearing to break from a thoughtful trance. “Oh, forgive me. I would like you to meet my Pokémon someday, but right now they are resting.” She gestured to the four luxury balls on waist.

“If I may,” Hayun started mindfully, “where is Ray?”

The leader tucked her chin in slightly with an amused expression. “You wish to know where he is…He works in the intelligence room not far from this floor. His role as the creator and caretaker of our information system is essential. He is also the head of the cleansing project for the RFA, which you are a key part of.”

_ Cleansing, _ Hayun noted pointedly. It made her feel ill.

“With your help gathering preliminary information through the chatrooms, we will soon have the RFA delivered to us. This is something Ray has dedicated all his time to these past six months,” Saviour continued. “Mint Eye cannot achieve paradise until we save the RFA from the likes of V and Luciel.”

Hayun’s gaze flickered away as she processed that information. There was something  _ very _ personal about how V, Ray, Luciel, and this Saviour person were all intertwined. If V had been meant to be the twins’ caretaker, then why did he leave Ray—Saeran—in the wrong hands? Did Rika know about it, if they were truly so close, or was this something he hid from her as well? Why were the twins supposed to live separately?

“I’m so glad you were brought here to help with Ray’s efforts. I was very concerned that it would not work out. I thought his burden would lessen with you here…” she trailed off, making Hayun’s eyes snap back to her late-night guest. “There is an unexpected problem.”

The younger woman swallowed, her palms beginning to sweat. Was she already too late? Did they need to get rid of her?

“I’ve noticed that Ray has grown somewhat weak at heart,” Saviour said in a soothing, casual tone. She sounded at ease and on a knife’s edge at the same time, her voice hardly above a whisper. “Don’t look so disturbed. The problem is with Ray, not you.”

_ How often has she told him that? _ Hayun wondered, the patterned use of that word ringing in her ears.  _ Weak. _ It filled her with disgust to speculate how many times Ray had been told that’s what he was. “Is there anything I can do?” was what she actually asked.

Another sickeningly sweet smile came her way. “That’s very kind of you. We’re so close to achieving our goals, I’m growing quite anxious. It’s my responsibility to hold Ray accountable for this project’s success. For his sake, it must not fail.”

For once, Hayun smirked back, but not for the reason Saviour likely assumed. “I agree.”

Saviour sighed lightly. “I can tell that you’re quite capable. Ah, that reminds me. I would like to officially welcome you, Believer Hayun, our special missionary, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of your success.” She reached around to the back of her thin belt and opened a small pouch to extract something. A small, glossy, rectangular piece of plastic was extended to the ex-trainer with grace. “This is your ID card. You can now freely roam the building, though I caution you to avoid the intelligence room. Ray can afford no distractions while he is working. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask the security guards.”

Hayun took the card from the woman’s tiny pale fingers and bowed her head in thanks. It was becoming easier to act the way she should around this ‘Saviour’, even as she despised it. 

“I give you my word that you will only find salvation and cleansing in the place, Believer Hayun.” Saviour turned to leave, taking one step before giving Hayun a disarming sidelong glance. There was no malice in her expression, only an empty attempt at warmth. “You rest up; I have a very important report I must hear. A promise that must be kept.”

“Thank you for visiting me, Saviour,” Hayun returned blandly, watching carefully at the mysterious blonde woman slipped past the ajar door and softly clicked her way down the hall towards the elevator.

As soon as the door was closed, Hayun let out a long, shaky breath. She tried not to think about everything too hard, fearing that her head might explode. Every three seconds she was shifting from fear to confusion to anger, and it was way too late for all of that nonsense. Once tucked back into bed, she caught up with the chatroom messages, her Pokémon settled after such an odd disturbance.

Zen had discussed the complexity of his new lead role: a man with two souls in the same body. One was gentle, intelligent, and careful, while the other was dangerous, rude, and dark. He was challenged by the latter personality, being a naturally good guy, as he put it. Hayun was vaguely familiar with the concept of dissociative identity disorder, but many forms of media portrayed a bastardization or even a romanticization of such a mental illness. It was poorly understood, but it made for an interesting narrative for a novel or a play. Yoosung’s gloomy mood had inspired Zen somewhat, but by that point, Hayun was beginning to fall asleep, the grip around her phone loosening.

Then a call came through, the vibration making her muscles jump. Zen was up late, as usual. 

“Hey, I saw you log in, so I figured you were awake. Bad time?” he queried in a low voice. It was soothing, so she wasn’t annoyed.

_ Oh, you know, was woken up from my beauty sleep by a crazy cult leader and abuser. Just another day in the life, am I right?  _ Hayun humoured to herself. “Nah, I just wake up during the night once in a while,” she explained.

“Did you see what Yoosung said? I’ve been thinking about it as I read this script. At first it was kind of fun, but it really reminds me of this dark character, White. Is it this strange, empty and angry feeling Yoosung has? Is that what I’m missing?”

“Everyone is capable of harbouring complex feelings like that,” Hayun supposed. “I think we’re encouraged to always be at our best, but that only exacerbates the situation more. It’s alright to have problems, or a painful past, or just dark thoughts. What’s important is to understand them and where they come from, and then take care of yourself accordingly so you can reflect what you want to see in the world.”

“You…really sound like you know what you’re talking about.”

If he could see it, she would’ve shrugged. “I’ve been to therapy a few times; you pick up stuff. On the other hand, sometimes life just sucks. Everyone has those times where you just have to wallow in your darkness to get to know it better. Maybe what this script is trying to say is that a person’s identity is always more than what we perceive at first glance.”

“You’re right, everyone has sides of themselves they don’t always show,” Zen concurred. “Maybe I should call Yoosung every night to get a better idea of all this, let his sad thoughts about how pointless life is just seep into me…”

“It’s pretty common for adolescents or young adults to re-evaluate their worldviews,” Hayun remarked, considering her own experience with that. “For me it came in stages. My rebellion against my parents, my trainer’s journey, and then…well, when my mom died. It makes you take a hard look at what the world is, who you are, and what you want to do. Life without action is meaningless, so perhaps Yoosung is just frustrated about his inaction. Perhaps he feels he’s being prevented from doing what he really wants. Or he doesn’t even know what he wants. That feeling of entrapment comes in lots of different forms. People become animals when they’re caged, not the other way around.”

“A cage, huh…?” Zen pondered aloud. “Interesting. I suppose I don’t have a lot of experience with those ideas, since I’ve always known what I want and what I need to do. But maybe if I imagine myself in a situation where I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams…hm, I’ll think about this more. Thanks for talking to me. You should get back to sleep, Hayun.”

“Hope it helped,” she replied, yawning. “You know, your Kirlia has a lonely nature, and they have very strong psychic abilities…you should just ask him to give you a vision of this character. It’s no wonder he’s just as pretty as you are; you must shower him with happy feelings!”

“Nothing makes me happier than seeing him dance,” Zen chimed fondly. “It’s sort of a positive feedback loop, really. His beauty delights me and inspires me to be beautiful and work hard for my dream. He feels all that positive energy and becomes even prettier, even though he has that lonely, brooding nature.”

Hayun’s face warmed with a sweet smile. “Sounds like you have a very close relationship. And I bet your fans like that you have a feminine-looking Pokémon.”

“I don’t have an enormous fanbase, but I partially hope it’ll show my softer side,” he admitted. “If someone doesn’t like it, I can’t say I care. I love the little guy, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know,” she said, gazing affectionately at her twin foxes. Many folks she met wondered why she didn’t transform Artemis and Apollo into Ninetales, considering the strength advantage it would have afforded when she still battled on the regular, but it wasn’t any of their business.

“Anyway, enough of that. Go to sleep, young lady,” he teased.

“Yes sir,” she complied with a smirk. “Night.”

“Nighty-night.”

She managed to get a little over an hour of shuteye after that, but one thing still bothered her about what Saviour said: there was some sort of report the leader wanted to hear. Hayun couldn’t help but suspect that it had something to do with Ray, so she held her phone in her hand in case he needed her. Eventually, a notification that someone was in the chatroom lit up the device again, and she squinted against the screen to check who had arrived.

_ “Hayun, you’re still awake?”  _ Ray inquired, his genuine surprise evident. 

_ “I had a hunch you might be here,”  _ she mused, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips without permission. 

_ “You were waiting for me? I’m so happy…” _ Ray sent his glad emote, then quickly changed the subject.  _ “I heard that Saviour paid you a visit earlier to give you an ID card. Did she…say anything else?” _

_ Tread lightly, _ Hayun ordered herself.  _ “She welcomed me. I think she’s concerned about you, too.” _

_ “That’s wonderful! She gave you the card in person because I caused trouble…I think she wanted to make sure you were reliable. But I was worried for nothing, since she even complimented me that I chose just the right person.” _

Hayun puffed out her cheeks in a breath of relief. She’d made a good enough impression, at least.

_ “It’s all thanks to you, Ray. I’m here for this important mission because of you,”  _ she encouraged. Ray needed any wins she could give him, at any opportunity. He needed to know that he was brilliant all on his own.

_ “I’m so glad that if I got one thing right, it’s that I met you,”  _ he replied, adding a rose-kiss emote that made her blush a bit.  _ “Oops. Saviour told me I need to control myself better, since you’re so charming.” _

That was certainly something she’d never heard before. Her, charming? More like  _ nosey, stubborn,  _ and  _ strong. _ On occasion, she would be praised for her smarts, battle tact, or work ethic with Pokémon. ‘Charming’ was a first, and like all new things, it sent a little thrill down her spine.  _ “You’re allowed to feel that way, Ray. Follow what feels natural to you.” _

_ “Really…?”  _ he doubted.  _ “I’m starting to like you more…is it okay that I continue?” _

_ “Of course,”  _ Hayun spurred, finding that hiding her flushed face in the pillow was becoming routine.  _ “You don’t mind that I continue that too, do you?” _

It took him a few heartbeats to respond, considering he was a very fast typist.  _ “That just made me gasp a little,”  _ Ray admitted.  _ “I want us to take a nap together, and read, and walk in the garden, and travel…always together. Oh, I’m getting carried away. Anyways, I’m so glad Saviour did not mention anything about the elixir to you.” _

_ “I know you’ve been protecting me,”  _ she reiterated.  _ “Thank you for that.” _

_ “You trusted me when you came here,”  _ he returned, and Hayun supposed that her judgement was doubtful when that occurred,  _ “and I would never betray your faith! You should never have to go through such pain or sorrow…I have to take it because I’m not as strong as you. It must be why Saviour is worried.”  _ He paused again, this time showing a crying emote that made her pout at her phone screen.  _ “Saviour didn’t look happy with me earlier…do you think I’m not good enough?” _

Ray was actually asking her. He was questioning it, and her heart spilled over with excitement at the opportunity.  _ “I think you’re good enough, but this environment is suffocating you. You’re not able to be who you are, even though who you are is so wonderful.” _

_ “I’ve never had anyone say that to me…”  _ he trailed.  _ “I don’t even deserve to be at Magenta, but I’m so happy I can do something.” _

Hayun sighed through her nose, her enthusiasm dampened. It was a start. 

_ “Everything always goes wrong because I’m so weak, it’s a little frustrating…there’s nothing I can do about it, since I was born this way.” _

She considered his words. Ray thought he was trapped because of who he was, when she could plainly see it was due to the oppression that he was under from others. It reminded her of her conversation with Zen. Ray was going through something very traumatic, and even though she’d resolved to help him break free, there were going to be problems and dark parts of life for him. 

_ “Ray, I know you’re having a hard time, but it won’t last forever. There are good things to look forward to and remember that I’m always here for you.” _

_ “Oh, that’s so sweet and happy…your words are amazing, I could do anything.”  _ He sent another rose-kiss emote; they were becoming more common.  _ “I shouldn’t get so carried away. I don’t want to say anything stupid. I should probably go…” _

_ “You can’t stay just a bit longer?”  _ Hayun pleaded, genuinely wanting to talk more.

_ “I suppose I could…Saviour won’t see, so she won’t mind…”  _ Hayun blinked, realizing that he was becoming a bit more rebellious, little by little.  _ “Oh, here, before I go:”  _ Ray uploaded an image of a flower she didn’t recognize right away. It was a small plant with a gently arched stem, tiny white bell-like blooms hanging from the top half in rungs.  _ “This is Lily-of-the-Valley. In the language of flowers, it means ‘promise of happiness’.” _

Hayun snatched the book up from her nightstand and found it through the index.  _ “It can also mean ‘sweetness’ and ‘trust’. I’m certain that such things are in store for us.” _

_ “Yes, and we can make it through this day as well. Thank you…for being here with me.”  _ Hayun grinned broadly, his delight infectious even through the chatroom.  _ “Ah, I really have to go now. You should go back to sleep.” _

_ “I will. I hope you get some rest too, Ray.” _

_ “I’ll try. Sweet dreams.” _

She didn’t even turn her screen off when he called her. For a moment, she wondered if it was a mistake. Maybe his fingers slipped on his phone. But wait, he’d mentioned that he uses his desktop computer to talk to her most of the time. 

“Hi, Ray,” Hayun said fondly, shifting her weight in the bed with a happy fidget.

“Hayun, I—” his lovely voice stuttered harshly. “Oh, you were about to go to sleep, weren’t you?”

She smiled kindly. “I’m glad you called.”

“I…I just wanted to talk to you.” The heartache was explicit in his tone, and she could tell that he leaned his face closer to the phone. “I’m having trouble going to sleep. I keep having these nightmares…they make me bolt up in a cold sweat or cry out.”

A pang of sympathy struck hard within her. “You can talk to me about it if you want. They say telling someone you trust about your bad dreams helps to process them.”

Ray made a mixture of a reluctant hum and an uncertain groan from the back of his throat. “I keep dreaming about,” he gave a little sigh, “being back in my mom’s house, being locked up in a dark room. I can see Magenta outside, but no matter how much I bang on the windows and yell, the people outside can’t hear me. Then my mom tells me I’m making too much of a fuss, and…she tells me I’m such a pain, that I’m better off dead. Oh…I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“I’m only very sad that you experience that in your dreams,” she told him simply, truthfully. “I know that you’ve been through a lot. Thank you for trusting me and sharing that.”

“I feel like I can share anything with you.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “That’s wonderful; I always want you to feel that way around me.”

“Sometimes, after a nightmare, I just stare up at the ceiling from my bed. The room is dark and soundless, and I get the sense that everyone has left me all alone, that no one wants me. I’m sure even my Pokémon would prefer a better owner or trainer who can make them strong…but you wouldn’t know anything about that feeling, would you?”

Hayun rolled onto her back and stared at her own ceiling. “I wish I could hug you whenever you feel like that. Just call me when your mind starts to swim with those thoughts, okay? We can listen to each other’s voices until you feel a bit better.”

Ray hummed again, this time with contentment and safety. “I’d love to be in your arms…but I’m so afraid. I’m so scared you’ll hate me. You’ll see me up close and realize how awful I really am. But…your words fill me with such longing. When your voice reaches my ears, when you comfort me, suddenly I don’t feel like I’m such a useless person. You’re accepting every part of me that you see…maybe what you say is just fine for me to believe…”

Hayun felt her throat begin to tighten and threaten to fail her. “I only want you to know the truth. That you’re worth accepting. You’re worth being encouraged and cared for.”

“For a moment, I really, truly believe that. I feel better. Maybe my dreams won’t be so bad now. Maybe you’ll be there. Oh, I should let you sleep again, I’m sorry…”

“Let’s keep talking,” she tempted him sweetly. “Please?”

“You’ll get tired,” he stated simply, his voice a little lighter. A little more hopeful.

“Uh-uh. I’m not tired,” she protested, pitching her voice to be purposefully childish. 

Ray made a soft noise of surprise. “You must be. Your voice gets all breathy and broken when you’re sleepy.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she combated playfully, fully aware of how her voice did do such a thing when she was nearly unconscious. Still, she held on.

“Hmm, that I don’t believe,” Ray replied with just an inkling of amusement. “Sweetest of dreams, Hayun. Stay warm in your bed.”

“I’d be warmer with you here,” she quipped, the response flying out of her mouth before she could catch it and shove it back down. With a purse of her lips, she shrieked at herself in silence.

A strangled hitch of breath was audible from the other end of the line. “N-Now you’re just teasing me…”

“You’re so wonderful to tease,” she grinned. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Mm. I can tell you’re trying to make me laugh. Or maybe short-circuit.”

“Someday I’ll get you to laugh loud and hard,” Hayun promised. “The kind of laugh that you can’t control; only pure joy.”

“Someday…I’ll look forward to that day. I hope I can hear you that way, too.” He paused. “I really need to go. I should try to snooze just a bit before working again.”

“Oh, please do. You deserve some well-earned rest,” she agreed. “I hope I get to see you tomorrow. No—today. It’s technically morning.”

“I will definitely make the time. Goodnight.”

Her voice was barely a whisper. “Night.”

Hayun awoke later to Apollo licking her nose. She roused with a delirious groan, twisting her body under the sheets to find cool daylight from the window cast across the bed in a stark rectangle. There was a thin white cloud cover that day; perhaps evidence of an encroaching storm, or it would simply pass over them. She breathed out in a heavy sigh, wondering what the day would bring. At the very least, she was finally free to roam the building. Deciding to let her Pokémon have the day off from training to spend their morning in the garden, Hayun rolled out of bed, stretched, and freshened up in the bathroom before her breakfast arrived.

Zen and Jaehee were online as she worked through sweet rice porridge and fruit. Jaehee was expected, but it was surprising to see Zen so chipper.  _ Did he get any sleep at all? _ she wondered. Jaehee seemed quite invigorated with her work heading the intelligence unit and arrived to announce that the prime minister of the region was interested in purchasing one of V’s works. It seemed that he learned of Jumin’s connection with the young photographer, and of course, Jumin’s father was well acquainted with several politicians. While that was news to Hayun, it also did not astonish her. Generally, however, she just found the whole thing a little odd, and even told them so. She had no reason for being suspicious, she just felt like it was odd timing.

What was  _ very _ interesting was how disturbed V was by it when he checked in on them all. He wondered why it was necessary for the prime minister to require his presence in this exchange, instead of purchasing his work through online transaction and arrangement. Jaehee suggested that perhaps this politician was a fan. Hayun furrowed her brow, already familiar with this pattern in V’s behaviour. He wasn’t just hiding how he felt, he was worried. Perhaps even terrified. It was the same way he reacted to whatever personal information Ray sent to Luciel. He sent Jaehee on her way, leaving just the two of them.

_ “Hayun…”  _ V hesitated, and she watched the screen carefully for him to go on.

_ “Yes?” _

It took him a moment to continue.  _ “If you hear anything about this prime minister…please, tell me.” _

_ “I see.” _

_ “Also, please take care of…”  _ His phrase trailed off purposefully, obviously not wanting to reveal anything in the chatroom.

_ “You know I will,”  _ she put succinctly. 

_ “Yes. Thank you.” _

And then V left, leaving Hayun alone with her doubts once again. At first blush, she was frustrated. He still wasn’t letting her in on everything, desperately trying to control the situation on his own. It burned her up, but she understood why things were delicate, especially in the chatroom. She was starting to gain a grasp of what exactly he meant when he told her that there was more to this whole wild situation. If politicians were involved and interested in V because of his being the leader of the RFA, would that put them at danger somehow? His apprehension made her tense.

Hayun’s priority was Ray, the RFA, and her own survival, Pokémon included. That slightly sororal instinct towards her new human friends made her defenses very high, but she wasn’t exactly sure how she’d describe the same protective tendencies she had for Ray. It was arguably an even fiercer feeling than how she cared for friends or baby Pokémon, and she couldn’t say that it was solely due to the fact that she had a pretty substantial crush on the man. It was deeper than that, some sort of unspoken understanding. 

Retracting both Yurim and Siren back to their Pokéballs for transport, Hayun changed into a comfortable pair of light blue jeans and a mauve long-sleeved shirt with a sheer floral print along the bottom hem and cuffs. It was her last change of clothes that she brought with her, though the others had been laundered by the staff since. Thinking of cultists cleaning her underthings made her pause, but she decided it was not worth putting another odd factor in her mind. 

Once again, her hallway was completely empty, and she power-walked down to the elevator in an attempt to get to the garden as quickly as possible. As much as Hayun was curious about the place, she was a bit concerned about what she would find or what kind of trouble was waiting. There was a floor between hers and the ground that flickered across the number display screen on her descent, and she briefly wondered if that was the floor where the information room was. She leaned her weight into one hip, Artemis and Apollo adjusting on her shoulders to keep balanced, and the world seemed to grow heavier as the elevator slowed to a stop. 

The exit wasn’t far, but she passed a couple of hooded figures in the hall. Men and women in almost equal measure, as far as she could tell, all in elaborate dark robes with gold stitching, the same that V wore the first time she met him. 

“For paradise,” they muttered to her in salutation, often accompanied by a low and polite nod. 

“F-For paradise,” Hayun stumbled at first, reminding her about the persona she had to procure around these people. They all seemed harmless; just meek and subdued and mild. Some had Pokémon, usually of the psychic, poison, or grass variety. All creatures known for having powerful status effect abilities, and almost each one was a little depressed or tired looking. Artemis whined quietly in Hayun’s ear, the sound a mixture of pity for her fellow Pokémon or for fear of what this place was doing to them.

But then, the garden. Even on a cooler, cloudier day of somewhat gray light, Hayun drank in the scent of the earth and flora that reminded her so much of home. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine being back outside with her dad only steps away, weeding the flowerbeds. Yurim and Siren were released, the former immediately strolling through the overgrowth and the latter vibrating her wings to take flight. Hayun found a bench along the path towards the arbour, smiling fondly as her dragon’s crystal wing-song chimed graciously overhead. The sibling Vulpixes quickly took to playing a rather rambunctious game of tag, and so the ex-trainer sat with one leg over the other to return to her small flower language index.

Measures of time became abstract as she studied the text carefully; it was actually more than just a list of plants and their meanings. Each one was given at least a page and a half describing a brief history of the plant’s uses, the reason behind its associated emotion, and any relation to the ecology of Pokémon. On some pages, she noticed very faint pencil notes scribbled into the margins in a tidy hand she recognized. Ray had written small comments regarding his favourite flowers. Most were now rubbed eligible, but she could make out the underlining for rue, black dahlia, and cypress most distinctly. It was as though he’d gone over them several times.

_ Rue, _ for regret and repentance;  _ black dahlia,  _ for betrayal and dishonesty;  _ cypress, _ for death, mourning, and despair. Hayun traced her middle and forefinger along the cleft of the two pages, pondering it deeply. She wished that she had a pencil on her.

Her trance was broken as a strange Pokémon’s cry from not far off made her head and mellow brown eyes snap up in attention. It was a Venomoth, a large, pale-lavender insect of ancient proportions. It let out a stuttered, scraping call and fluttered towards her, gaining Siren’s keen eye from above. As the large poison moth landed gracefully by her on the empty seat of the bench, the Flygon swooped down and pitched close, pulling back to hover in a manner that was only maintained by her hummingbird wingbeat. The Venomoth reared and cried out again, this time harsher in its fear.

Before Siren could return her own loud shriek, Hayun raised a halting hand. “Everything’s alright,” she said sternly, laying her other palm to the Venomoth’s fuzzy head. She was careful to avoid its delicate and very poisonous wings. Luckily, it was not distressed enough to begin shedding off the toxin it had readily available. “Sweetheart, are you lost?”

The Venomoth shuddered, its antennae bending to take in its surroundings. Some swift footsteps up the path answered Hayun’s question as a member in cult robes darted up to her from behind the rose-clothed bend.

“A thousand apologies, Believer Hayun!” a woman’s voice warbled, her breaths coming out in quick pants at the exertion. She didn’t drop her hood, but her thin mouth and upturned nose were clearly visible. “My Venomoth is most tired of late. He must’ve gotten confused.” The stranger pulled out a net ball, but Hayun stopped her.

“No, it’s alright. Let him relax, then put him back. You shouldn’t force a Pokémon into its ball when it is distressed anymore than you should let the sun go down on your anger,” Hayun insisted, quoting directly from her father’s wise words. “He needs you right now. Look, he’s happy to see you.” She gestured to the large insect, who turned fully towards his owner on his six hooked legs and raised his head in acknowledgement. A high-pitched whistle indicated his joy.

The believer sighed, shoulders now dropped in concession. “Alright. Believer Hayun, I’m very sorry for the disturbance. If Mr. Ray or Saviour found out, they’d be so upset and—”

“They’re not here,” Hayun interrupted, shifting further to her edge of the bench and offering the place. Siren had now returned to the air, though she was circling lower to keep watch over the ex-trainer. “I don’t mind.”

The believer took a slow, cautious seat, but made sure to be as far from Hayun as the bench allowed. Her Venomoth crawled into her lap, closing his wings to avoid hurting his own human companion. She smiled a little and began stroking the fuzz around the creature’s antennae. “Thank you for being so gracious, Believer Hayun. You are most respected here, and I wouldn’t want to disturb your peace between the duties you perform for our Saviour.”

“Your respect is more than what I asked for,” Hayun returned peacefully, welcoming Artemis and Apollo back into her open arms. They appeared a bit annoyed by the ruckus and decided to take a break from playing to stare at the strange Venomoth. He, for his part, seemed quite nervous around a Fire- and Ice-type. “Be nice, you two.”

“Your Pokémon seem very strong,” the woman remarked. “That will be most useful to Saviour’s plans.”

Hayun hummed, not really sure what to do with that information. “They are all very strong,” she agreed, her twin foxes perking up at the compliment and slowly swaying their sets of six tails in unison. “Whatever purpose that serves, they will do it well.”

“We train them to be strong here,” the believer added. “In case anyone comes to destroy our paradise.”

Hayun considered where that left Ray. He said he didn’t like battling, and she could tell his companions were not particularly strong. Did this fact only contribute to his feelings of self-loathing? “He seems much more relaxed, now,” she said, glancing at the Venomoth. “You have a good bond.”

The believer gave her Pokémon one last pet before returning it to its compact home. “Thank you for your patience, Believer Hayun. For eternal paradise,” she farewelled, turning on her heel to power-walk down the path towards the Magenta building.

“For eternal paradise,” Hayun managed to squeeze out, returning to her book.

It wasn’t long before Jumin was online. He was slightly consternated that he was about to hold a rather unexpected meeting between V and the prime minister of the region. That was quickly overtaken by his apparent delight to show the results of his renewed interest in cross-stitching. Then Yoosung returned, altogether ashamed of the dark turn that his youthful philosophical musings took him during his late-night conversations with Zen. The C&R executive was all too happy to provide some unsolicited advice in his own heartwarming way. They discussed hobbies for some time, Jumin relayed the internet slang he had somehow picked up on, and Yoosung absolutely blanched through the messages. At the very least, she gained the better part of a half hour of amusement and a couple of guest recommendations.

Approximately fifteen minutes after Jumin had left for his meeting with the prime minister and V, the photographer himself called. Hayun had rested her book open on Apollo’s body as he gloried in a peek of sunlight, just getting to the passage about snapdragon flowers when the call vibrated in her pocket. Seeing V’s caller ID, she glared at the screen for a moment, seriously considering not picking up. Ultimately, however, she assented to the possibility of him having information important for her and Ray.

“V, how did the meeting go?” came her forcibly cheerful greeting.

“It was…fine…” he supposed, voice clipped. “I was wondering how you were doing there…and I was concerned about a couple things.” A strained, uncertain croak of thought escaped him. “Have you noticed any significant change where you are? Anything peculiar?”

She considered it fully. “No, nothing. Why?”

“A-ah, thank Arceus. I was concerned for nothing. But please, don’t let your guard down, and don’t hesitate to tell me if—”

“We’ve been over this,” she responded quickly. “Please relax.”

V’s voice fell quieter. “Is Saeran—I mean, Ray—is he alright?”

Her face fell, eyes watching her fire Vulpix lounge with a blank expression. “He’s having a bit of a hard time, but I’m starting to see improvement. He’ll be okay.” She seriously did not want to go into detail.

“I know it might seem a nuisance, but I really hope you look after that boy,” he breathed gratefully.

Hayun’s voice rumbled a little. “You really need to stop calling him that. And he’s not a nuisance; I want to help him.”

“The most important thing is the management of the RFA,” V continued. 

_ He’s ignoring me again,  _ she grumbled internally. 

“We need to hold the party successfully while safeguarding everything it stands for. We need your help for this.”

“You’ve got it.”

“Thank you. Please look after yourself. I’ll call you again.”

Hayun hung up as soon as she could, clacking her phone onto the seat beside her and weaving her fingers into the base of her hair to rub at her scalp. That man stressed her  _ out. _ Talking to him was like doing mental gymnastics, always figuring out what was veiling truths and half-truths and lies and hidden plans. She was trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle and he was holding some pieces hostage with only vague descriptions to guide her. 

As wonderful as the garden was, Hayun retracted her Pokémon and returned to her room for lunch. She wasn’t especially hungry, but the staff—believers—would probably try to search for her if she wasn’t in her usual place during mealtimes. Coming to think of it, she supposed that the only person aside from Ray that she regularly interacted with was the woman who brought her food. Regardless, it was where Hayun remained for the rest of the afternoon, anxious to allow missing a visit with Ray. She knew that if he came to her door and discovered her not there, he would simply insecurely consider himself bothersome and return to work.

Jumin delivered the news that V had declined the prime minister’s generous offer to buy an entire series of his gallery photos.  _ That must be why he was so uncomfortable on the phone, _ Hayun discerned. There was definitely something about this that sat ill in her stomach. Logically, it could be very possible that the series was of emotional significance to V and Rika, and therefore he was reluctant to let them go. However, Hayun had an inkling that this was a bit more complex, and it began the moment he learned of the politicians designs on seeing him personally.

The corporate heir was becoming increasingly worried for his friend. By his own admission, V was not very well put together, barely ate with him at lunch, and overall seemed quite stressed and split. Jumin thought it was foolish of V to refuse a good business deal just because of his emotions, but Hayun encouraged him to be a bit more kind. This was probably more layered and intertwined than any of them understood. While she didn’t like the way that V was handling things regarding her and Ray’s situation, she could admit to a bit of sympathy for the man. She wasn’t exactly well put together after her mother passed away, either.

Jumin and Jaehee had already moved the conversation to government policies in the region as Hayun sat back in her chair and stared at her unfinished lunch. Siren was sinking her small, razor-sharp fangs into a sweet and sour berry when her stiff, backwards-facing antennae wiggled in recognition of her trainer’s deep thought. The movement drew Hayun’s attention enough to snap her out of it and return to the matter at hand. 

She scrolled through the article about this man. She’d heard of this prime minister, of course. While she wasn’t much for political debate, she was like Jaehee in her slightly more left-leaning ideals. Policies about small businesses and Pokémon welfare concerned her the most, and while she couldn’t exactly consider this man to be an enemy of those principles, he wasn’t doing much to help those issues, either. He was handsome and a family man, which likely lent positively to his efforts with the public, with honey-amber eyes.

_ “Doesn’t he look a bit like Luciel?”  _ Jaehee presumed. It was an innocent, off-handed comment. Jumin paid it no mind, pointing out how looks mattered very little when it came to policy management.

Hayun’s brows furrowed as she opened up her gallery of saved RFA photos and scrolled until she found one of Luciel. He was almost always in a ridiculous costume or pulling a face, but it was still there. Not an uncanny resemblance by any means, but the eyes, forehead, the bridge of the nose…she decided it was hardly consequential. Strangers looked like relatives all the time; it wasn’t uncommon. Perhaps they were second cousins without even knowing it.

Jaehee had been kind enough to recommend a guest, so Hayun decided to take the opportunity to catch up on her emails. The list was growing longer with each passing day, even as she’d failed to convince one or two. Not everyone was terribly receptive to her customer service charms, but she could live with that. Her lunch dishes were taken away, as was routine, and she placed her phone face-down on her bed, pacing about somewhat restlessly. Yurim had started to follow her steps with his own heavy, careful strides, hooves clicking against the floor tile.

Hayun sighed deeply, turning to face her deer-like companion and stroke his velvety nose. She placed her weight entirely on one hip, freely fidgeting her other leg in unrest. “I’ve got this…bad feeling,” she muttered quietly to her friend. He leaned his head into her hand as she scratched at the base of his teardrop-shaped ears. “I feel like there’s something wrong with Ray, and I—I can’t help him from where I am…!” 

Siren popped her head up suddenly in response to Hayun’s increased distress, and the twins ceased mutually grooming to glance her way. Hayun held her idle arm underneath her chest, cradling the front of her ribs and grasping the soft fabric of her shirt in an oddly placed anguish. She took in a shuddered breath but didn’t cry. The fear was making her blood run too hot; she didn’t have the energy to cry. The top of her nose bridge pinched in worry.

“I must just be paranoid. He’s fine. He’s going to be fine,” she insisted to herself. “I’m just isolated, that’s all. And V’s been driving me up the wall. There’s nothing wrong with Ray.”

Yurim butted his nose firmly against her chest, and it squeezed out a nervous laugh from her. Hayun grinned at her Grass-type, tracing the pink blossoms that were rooted to his twisted tree-like antlers. Eventually, her dread was dispelled, and she could return to keeping as composed and careful as she could manage. The RFA was counting on her diligence, though they didn’t know it. Ray still didn’t know the way.

Hayun returned to studying the language of flowers, counting on it perhaps helping her communicate more complex emotions with Ray. It seemed to be a reference or tool that he used to, at the very least, process things. Her desire to understand this was twofold: if it could bridge the gap of ideas to bring him to realize that this environment wasn’t healthy for him, excellent. If it brought them closer together as people, even better. She acknowledged that perhaps, at the moment, her motivation was more so the latter, but at least the former provided realistic justification.

Seeing the ever-brotherly duo of Zen and Yoosung set her straight. When they began speculating about why V didn’t sell his photos, Hayun saw it as an interesting opportunity to try a little experiment. 

_ “Jaehee thought this prime minister looks like Seven,”  _ Hayun planted, her lips pressed into a firm line of thought and interest.  _ “I’m inclined to agree.” _

_ “Yeah, I can definitely see it,”  _ Zen affirmed.

_ “They look nothing alike to me,”  _ Yoosung added.

Hayun frowned a little, now very unsure. It was still anyone’s guess, but if there was something to her and Jaehee’s suspicions, it would explain V’s reluctance as the guardian of Luciel and, by extension, Ray. It hurt her brain to even speculate about the connotations that scenario would rope into an already completely off-the-wall situation, so she put it in the ‘for later’ box of her mind. 

Luciel barged into the chatroom, not bothering to offer his humorous side. He was urgently searching for V. Apparently, the photographer was not answering his phone, nor had he made contact with the messenger recently. Luciel’s pattern of typing had changed; he was curt, precise, almost robotic. Hayun’s eyes moved fast to drink it all in, alerted by his serious behaviour. Everything hinged on him and Ray, that much she understood.

_ “What’s wrong, Seven? Does it have to do with the hacker?”  _ she asked, desperate for any second-hand news of Ray.

_ “No idea. I just really need to talk to V,”  _ came the short reply.  _ “Wait…who says I look like the prime minister?”  _ He must’ve read back through the log.

_ “Nobody, we were just messing around. Jaehee was the first to mention it and I kept it going,”  _ Hayun returned. 

_ “Please don’t make assumptions like that.”  _ His punctuation and spelling were flawless in the message. That instantly unnerved her, arms breaking out into gooseflesh. 

_ “Why are you snapping at her?” _ Zen defended, ever valiant.

_ “Uh,”  _ Luciel broke, suddenly seeming unsure.  _ “Sorry. Hayun. Please tell me if V makes any contact at all. Tell him what I said. Tell him to call me that instant.” _

_ “Count on it,” _ she confirmed stoically. 

_ “Thank you. You’re the most likely one he is to speak with. I have to go.” _

He was gone as quickly as he’d arrived. The other boys remarked on his haste and short patience, but all Hayun could do was lean back on the headboard of the bed and tilt her face up to the blank ceiling as all her Pokémon gathered around her in concern. Luciel’s—no, Saeyoung’s—reaction to this was just the icing on the cake of her building catalog of theories. He and the prime minister had a passing resemblance, they were far apart enough in age, he reacted very poorly to what she had been passing off as a joke, V’s recent behaviour came into context, and suddenly the reason for why V needed to be a guardian for the twins materialized.

_ Illegitimate children, _ she concluded. While an absolutely ludicrous idea on its own, it was the most likely explanation for everything. Did this politician even know about Saeyoung and Saeran’s existence? Was that the idea from the beginning? V and Rika planned to keep them out of harm’s way by watching over them, changing their names, getting ‘707’ to work for a mysterious and likely illegal hacking association to keep him as invisible as possible in the region?

She reached over to her nightstand and picked up the matching flower bookmarks.  _ Choi Saeyoung. Choi Saeran. Choi Saejoong. _ They shared an extremely common surname, enough so that ‘Luciel’ chose to keep it, but this was beyond coincidence. Hayun considered what Ray had told her about his mother. She locked him away. For what, their protection? To have a powerful father who likely didn’t even know of their existence was one thing, but a mother who kept them secret and abused them? It was no wonder V and Rika did all they could to extract them from that situation.

But now Ray was under the thumb of this Saviour. Perhaps she was trustworthy to V and Rika once, perhaps Rika was in charge of Saeran and V assigned to Saeyoung. They just put their trust in the wrong person, and V never knew. Suddenly, she wasn’t so annoyed with him, though if he had just been plain about it with her from the beginning, perhaps Hayun could’ve used those details to better inform her decisions there. He kept saying he wanted what was best for her, for the twins, for the RFA—but there was still one more  _ thing _ , wasn’t there?

Hayun had been running on autopilot for the rest of the conversation, feeling a bit guilty that she couldn’t completely pay attention to Zen and Yoosung. Then Seven called her, all of her anxieties and doubts coming to a potent point.

Luciel’s voice was strained, almost wired. “It’s me. Can we talk?”

“Yeah, talk away. You seemed pretty upset back there.” She made an effort to even out her tone. If there was one thing he didn’t need, it was another person stressed out on the end of the line.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you,” he apologized softly. “It’s just…ahhh, it’s so hard to focus on work right now!”

“Honey, take a break. Let’s just talk it out, you and me.”

He made a vaguely amused noise, but it was mostly sarcastic. “Easier said than done. I keep getting more and more work, and the hacking is getting worse and worse…I dunno who this guy is, but I have to at least work harder than him to dig us out of this.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a solution you’ve never thought of if you give yourself some space. Play with your Plusle and Minun for a few minutes; I know that always stimulates me,” she suggested. “You’re a genius, Seven. A real superhuman. On the level of an Alakazam.”

“Hey now, don’t get so carried away,” he returned, his voice flexing in a joking manner for a moment. “That reminds me, there was this news story about a woman from another region whose child was stuck under a truck. There weren’t any Pokémon around strong enough to help, but she somehow managed to lift the truck off her kid all on her own.”

“I’ve heard of that happening a couple of times in different situations,” Hayun corroborated. 

“Someone once told me that humans are actually a lot like Pokémon,” he continued thoughtfully. “But humans have a hidden superpower that only comes out when we need to protect someone ourselves. What about you, do you have anyone so important to you that you would awaken a superpower just to protect them?”

Her response was immediate. “My Pokémon and my dad, obviously.” She laughed lightly for a moment. “Though, they’re all more likely to duel to the death over me than the other way around. Other than them, though…I dunno, my life is pretty small, like you said the other day. But…maybe just one other person…”

“Is it that person you said you cared for? The one you’re in L-O-V—”

“I’m not in love with him!” she exclaimed loudly, slapping her hand over her mouth with a blush.

“Oooh-ho-ho, so it’s a ‘him’!” Seven teased.

“Shut up. None of your business,” she grumbled, pulling her knees up to her chin to make herself small. “I answered, so now you get to, too!”

“Hmm…my babies—that includes my cars and my two little guys here—”

“Yeah, I figured.”

“Then the RFA, no surprise there, and…” he trailed off.

Hayun’s ears prickled. “And…?” she continued for him.  _ He’s thinking about Ray, isn’t he?  _ She thought.  _ He’s thinking about Saeran. _

“And I should be really brave and sacrifice myself in desperation to protect the things precious to me, right?” he resolved, making her rest her forehead against her knees in exasperation. “But…could I do it, when the moment comes? I’m so scared I’ll just freeze up in fear.”

Hayun’s heart ached as she now rested her cheek up against her legs, gazing out the window to the side. Was Ray listening to their conversations? “I believe you’d do the right thing, Sae—Seven.” Her pulse spiked at the near slip-up. “The first gym challenge I ever took on, I nearly forgot all the commands and training we’d practiced. Yurim did his best, but he needed my guidance. When I saw him fighting so desperately, so wonderfully keen, it made me snap out of it, and we won the fight. You just need to have faith in yourself.”

“…Thanks for saying that.”

“My pleasure,” she beamed, her cheek squishing into her knees from her grin. 

“You’re really warm-hearted, you know that? Everything you say is so sincere. Whoever this guy you like is, he’s lucky to have you.”

“Hm. I don’t know about that,” she sighed, downtrodden at the idea. “I’m not certain that I’m what he needs, but I  _ so much _ want the best for him. My own feelings be damned.”

“I saw you talking to Jumin about this person in your life who was being hurt by someone else, but you didn’t know how to help,” Seven mentioned.

“Yeah, that’s him,” she admitted freely, not seeing the harm as long as they avoided specifics. “I think he’s…starting to understand what’s so wonderful about him. I hope that he fully blooms into his own confidence without me spoon-feeding it to him, you know?”

“Maybe he needs your stubborn attitude in his life to snap him out of it,” Luciel suggested, chuckling a bit.

It made her smirk despite the moisture glistening in her eyes. “Maybe. I’ve never been so careful as I am about this. It’s a little nerve-wracking. I feel like if I move just an inch too far, it’ll all fall apart in my clumsy hands.”

“It sounds to me like your feelings are pure enough to carry you through, even if you make a couple mistakes.”

Hayun sighed, forming a ‘o’ shape with her lips. “I really hope you’re right.”

“Gaaaaah,” Luciel sighed in response, making a distinct groan that told her he was stretching up high. “I’ve been having complicated feelings, but I’m glad I got to get it all out thanks to you. I’ve got to get back to work, though.”

“Play with your Pokémon!” she commanded sternly. “Breeder-slash-caretaker’s orders.”

“Yes, ma’am!” he chimed, letting out a sturdy laugh. “Ta-ta for now!”

Hayun flopped her phone face-down onto the bed and resumed spectating out the window. The meaning of her exchanges with Luciel rivaled those she had with Ray. Both strains of conversations tended to be emotionally vulnerable and fully reciprocal, but what fascinated her most was how her feelings towards them were completely different. At first, it panicked her: was she attracted to Ray because she met him first? Was it because she unconsciously considered him a little project for her to work on? Or was his vibe simply different from Seven?

The general differences in their personalities were apparent. Ray had a sense of humour, but it was more subtle and relied on quiet banter and word play. He was most at ease when he was amused. Seven would joke even if no one was there, sporadic and wild, and it was almost always fueled by his pain. In quieter moments, Seven was full of secrets and careful with his words. In contrast, Ray’s thoughts would spill from his head, completely exposing his heart and mind in a desperate scrambling for any inkling of kinship. Both sought intimacy, that much was plain, but the manner in which they pursued it was very different.

Ultimately, she determined it was just a feeling. Ray’s personality simply interacted more naturally with hers; she didn’t have to work her brain as hard to understand him. Twins were not perfect duplicates, and she of all people would understand that. Artemis and Apollo were hardly an identical matched set.

Some time later, V finally emerged. He told her that he’d already spoken with Luciel before she could relay the message. She asked if the younger man was alright, and V thanked her for her concern. Everything would be alright for now, but he was still unsettled. Hayun carefully leveled her suspicion that the prime minister may have wanted something more than just pictures but didn’t want to tip off the other members and make them nervous. For now, V had this in hand and was still prioritizing her safety. They both had more pressing matters to tend to. 

Jumin joined them then, most curious about their veiled conversation. Hayun’s expression tightened a bit, worried that his attachment to V would now cause him to get more involved than they needed right now. All she could do was fully display her confidence in him to functionally disperse Jumin’s anxieties, as much as it went somewhat against her better judgement. Dividing allegiances would do far more harm than good.

She’d been too lost in thought to notice that the subject of the conversation changed. V had posted a photo of a daffodil that was struggling to bloom in full sunlight, and it appeared to be absorbing the strength of the plants around it. He loved its dark beauty but became worried for the other flowers in his garden. The care and almost anthropomorphic significance he gave to the little creature made her pause. Did Ray get this trait from him?

_ “Perhaps it is best to give it its own space in the shade where it can thrive on its own,”  _ she presumed. 

_ “Does it deserve such a fate, all alone?”  _ he wondered aloud to them.

_ “It’s just a flower, V,”  _ Jumin dismissed, seeming very confused by the emotional weight his friend was putting on mere unthinking flora.

_ “I would say that the other flowers deserve to have their own energy siphoned even less,”  _ Hayun added, deciding to pursue this fascinating blip in V’s psychology. A now familiar pit of nerves formed in the bottom of her stomach. 

_ “I’m worried it will die if I plant it somewhere else…” _ V fretted. The situation reminded Hayun of her conversation with Ray about the two sprouts. She now understood that he was thinking about himself and Luciel, seeing himself as the victim in their relationship thanks to whatever pretty lies he was fed. 

_ “I think you’re captivated by that flower’s peculiarity,”  _ Jumin reported flatly.

_ “Don’t you think I am also peculiar inside?”  _ V returned. 

_ “Perhaps. You are an artist.” _

_ “While I’m not sure what to do about this particular situation,”  _ Hayun interjected quickly,  _ “I don’t think this is a problem that you can simply brush aside. It will have to be handled eventually, and it’s better that it is handled sooner to prevent further damage to any of the flowers.” _

V wished he had the answers written for him from the beginning. It was an almost child-like sentiment. He wanted so badly for that flower to love the sunlight, insisted that it would…but Hayun and Jumin weren’t so sure. They both offered encouragement, that life would go on, tomorrow would have its own unknowns and surprises, and he had them both to count on. But V was still unsure and guilty. 

Then, the moment of truth. Jumin asked V if he thought that the prime minister and Luciel looked similar. Hayun didn’t even prompt it that time, he asked completely independently. 

_ “…”  _ He really looked like he did not want to answer.  _ “Jumin. Hayun. I’m afraid I must go.” _

_ “Explain it to me later,”  _ she said in farewell, knowing he’d be calling again eventually.

_ “Yes, please excuse me.” _

Then it was just her and Jumin.

_ “He still misses her…”  _ she observed carefully.  _ “Those flowers mean more to him than he says.” _

_ “I feel I have a duty to tell him the daffodil has withered,”  _ Jumin agreed pointedly. 

_ “There must be a reason he can’t accept the truth,”  _ Hayun added.  _ “He’s holding on so tight.” _

_ “There are still so many unanswered questions from when she passed on…but I trust him. I hope you have a pleasant evening.” _

_ “Yes, please look after how you feel, too, Jumin.” _

He used a Skitty-shaped speech bubble.  _ “You’re very kind. Please excuse me.” _

Hayun lingered for a moment, collecting her thoughts, before leaving the chatroom after him. She closed the book in her lap, set it aside, and rolled out onto the quilt of her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The daffodil was perhaps V’s coping mechanism, or maybe just a conduit to process his grief over Rika. Without her, he was most likely even more confused about what had happened to Ray in the hands of whomever she trusted to look after him. 

Her train of ideas was interrupted by a call from Jumin. It seemed he was not ready to let things rest just yet. His smooth, sombre voice was always a comfort, but there was a pained bewilderment that struck at the pity in her heart. “It’s me. Can we talk?” Most informal for the ever-gentil Han Jumin.

“Yeah, we can. I know you’re going through a lot right now,” Hayun breathed quietly.

“I’m more anxious about my friend. He’s been even more on edge, especially since you joined…I wonder, do you know anything about that? Has he confided in you?”

She wanted to tell him, she really did. “You know what he always says. He couldn’t give me any details.”

Jumin sighed, one part stressed and one part sad. “I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything more. He’s always trying to resolve everything by himself, no matter how demanding the problem is. Been that way since we were young. I wish he would discuss it with me.”

“In all honesty, it really bothered me at first. I don’t like it when people are not transparent with me, but then again, I often find myself trying to fix problems by myself,” Hayun relayed, not really sure where this string of phrases was taking her. The realization came with a flush of embarrassment. “Perhaps what I find so frustrating about it is how much it is like me.”

“You are more open than he is,” Jumin returned. “More candid, as much as you are kind. Perhaps it is because you dislike concealment so much. Still,” he added, switching gears somewhat, “there was something not right when we met with the prime minister. V was unusually wary, even as such a golden opportunity presented itself.”

“Perhaps he thought it was too good to be true,” Hayun speculated neutrally, not wanting to tip her hand in any way. 

“But V has never been very possessive over his works. He’s sold them for very cheap or even given them away,” Jumin explained. “No…there was something else. My intuition is telling me that there was something unspoken between V and prime minister…”

Hayun’s brows rose up close to her hairline. It was impressive that Jumin could talk himself to this point, though she had very little to contribute. 

“Based on his emotional reaction…it has something to do with the RFA or Rika.” Jumin drew in a large lungful of air with dignity, even through the phone. “Well, I’m sure it will all work out,” he dismissed. “Please tell me if you hear something significant from V.”

“U-Um, sure thing,” Hayun replied, not having anything else to offer him. She felt more like the sounding board in this particular equation. It was a monologue more so than a dialogue.

“Have a good day,” Jumin sent off.

Hayun hung up and tapped the edge of her phone to her chin in consideration. Jumin didn’t have all the pieces of the puzzle that she did, but he was keen enough to put it together. She pondered on how he would feel to learn everything about his dear friend, and even she didn’t have the full picture. There was still something that V was hanging onto, something Rika had left behind for him to take care of. Did she leave instructions for Ray’s care? Did either of them know the harm that befell him?

Over dinner, Zen had returned, but only to bicker with Jumin like an old married couple. It was a welcome respite for Hayun, who was pleased to see that at least Jumin still had his sense of humour about him enough to send cutting jabs and remarks. Zen found the executive’s behaviour towards himself and V quite boorish, emphasizing the need for a more delicate approach in the matters of love and loss. Jumin disagreed, finding truth, however scathing, to be the best medicine. Of course, they just had to ask her to be the tie breaker in the debate.

_ “I think you can be honest and compassionate at the same time,”  _ she offered apprehensively.  _ “I used to be more like Jumin because I didn’t understand why my candour was a problem. Truth seems like the best gift to give someone distressed, but I think the delivery really makes a difference. As well as understanding that there is a place and time for certain conversations.” _

_ “See? Hayun’s got it sorted,” _ Zen insisted at his perceived enemy.

_ “I respect her desire to use social tact,”  _ Jumin acknowledged.  _ “Most often, such concern for feelings is not necessary in order to affect real change in my life.” _

They were both being unendingly stubborn in their own ways, but she could understand their perspectives. Zen was an artist, an actor, and a tender-hearted individual. Jumin was cold, calculating, but he did show his affection for others in very systematic manners. Both fit their environments very well, but perhaps they could come to some sort of mutual agreement under the right circumstances.

As Zen became increasingly agitated, Jumin suggested he channel that negative energy into the role of this ‘White’ character. Zen was displeased with the advice, but Hayun tried to twist it to his advantage as best she could. His righteous fury at the privileged, supposedly pretentious Mr. Han was exactly the fuel to the fire of this character.

It became progressively later in the day, and Ray still hadn’t contacted her. Hayun had tried reading more, but she got stuck reading the same sentence over and over, never really absorbing any of the material. That feeling from earlier crept back to the forefront of her mind, making her alternate between jiggling her leg in one of the chairs or anxiously pacing to keep decent blood flow. Eventually, as the sun set, she decided to burn off the extra energy with some careful and deep stretches. Apollo had joined her, mirroring her motions with his own quadrupedal equivalent. Every time she reached down to touch her toes, he would do the ‘Downward Boltund’ pose, making her laugh aloud.

Then, at last, she got the notification that Ray had entered the chatroom. She’d never logged in faster in her life. Ray, on the other hand, seemed unable to wait for her, spamming the chat log several times with his frantically typed messages.

_ “Hayun. Please answer me. Please. Hayun.” _

_ “I’m here!”  _ she rushed out, hands hurting a bit from the effort of sending it so quickly.  _ “Ray, are you alright?” _

_ “I was scared all the sudden…so scared you’d leave me,”  _ Ray stressed. 

_ “I’m not going anywhere. What’s wrong? I had a bad feeling earlier…” _

_ “I had to take the elixir…I’ve had a fever most of the day, and I keep thinking of you.”  _ He paused for a moment.  _ “And I keep thinking about myself…how whiny I am about the elixir…I hate it. I hate myself. When I met you, I wanted to do better, to be someone who could protect you. I was…so excited to know you.” _

She smiled a bit at that last part, seeing a glimmer of positivity amidst all the darkness of doubt.  _ “Do you remember? I said I knew we’d be friends, the moment we met in person. I was excited for it, too.” _

_ “I miss you so, so much,”  _ he continued, bubbles of text coming more slowly as he appeared to calm down.  _ “I want to make you happy. I want to give you my best.” _

_ “We’ll see brighter days, Ray. Together. I’ll get to see that loud laugh from you yet, just you wait.” _

_ “You don’t want that, trust me,”  _ Ray countered.  _ “You’ll see how pathetic and useless I am. It’s embarrassing. I’d rather see myself born into a new life, as if I’d never existed at all!” _

Hayun couldn’t help but let her first reaction be her response.  _ “What?! No, I like you just as you are. If you’d never existed, we’d never have met, and I—”  _ it took her a heart-halting moment to consider and continue— _ “I’d be lonely without you. You’re the closest I’ve gotten with anyone in a long time.”  _

Was that really it? Had she just been so alone and withdrawn all these years, with only her dad and her Pokémon as the constants, that she grew so attached to the first person so invested in her? Was  _ this _ why she was so adamant on fighting for him? 

_ “Your words are so sweet…how could you stay like this? Knowing that I’m such an airhead. I can’t even beat him…”  _ She knew instantly who he was talking about. This fictional unanimity between him and Luciel.  _ “How could you possibly like me so dearly?” _

_ Is he asking for a reason to believe me?  _ she wondered.  _ “Ray, I just like you. I like you a lot.”  _ It was becoming easier for her to admit.  _ “Will you trust me? To know how I feel. To tell you the truth, no matter what.” _

He avoided the question.  _ “To think you’d like me, who is such a useless waste of space…when you’re like a shiny star…” _

Hayun’s mouth pressed into a firm line. She wanted to tell him that this ‘shiny star’ was not her. She wasn’t a celestial body of a person, and she never would be. She was coarse and somewhat crass from hard work, filled with her own insecurities and doubts. But she couldn’t unload that all on him. She could only help him understand that she wanted to be next to him, not on a pedestal. Because next to him…was where she belonged. Right now, at the very least.

_ “I’m so afraid,”  _ Ray repeated.  _ “Everyone always leaves…and those who stay hurt me. But at least they stayed.” _

_ He must think Luciel—Saeyoung—left him, _ it dawned on her. The one person whom Rika trusted to look after him was using him like a marionette on strings. This ‘saviour’ directed all his fear of abandonment and all that pain from her right at Saeyoung, and Ray would never see her as the problem. It made Hayun feel ill again with nerves and rage.

_ “Please, Hayun. You can torture me all you want, but never leave. I’ll take whatever you want.” _

_ “Know this one thing, Ray,”  _ Hayun wrote precisely, care in every word.

_ “Yes? Anything.” _

_ “I’m not going to leave. I’ve decided to give it my all, for you.”  _ She knew she couldn’t get into any more specifics than that, but at least it was the truth.  _ “And I’m never going to hurt you. At least, never on purpose. I need you to tell me if something I do hurts, alright? I’ll do my best to right that wrong. Because you are so precious to me.” _

_ “I’m…precious to you?”  _ He was astonished. Hayun could practically hear his stuttering, darling soft voice from where she sat.  _ “No…I couldn’t possibly be…maybe someday, if I suffer and change, I’ll be a person you want to be with. Someone who deserves you.” _

_ “You deserve it now, just as you are. It’s already happened, I care for you, no take-backs.”  _ It was a meager attempt at humour, but she still meant every word.

_ “You give that so freely…I must earn it. I’ll do anything you want, tell me what you want!”  _ he insisted.

_ “I wish that you would have more faith in yourself, Ray.” _

There was an anxious pause.  _ “I…don’t know how…I’m sorry, it might take a while for me to learn. Ugh, I’m such an airhead! I can’t even do this one thing for you. But stay! Stay in this place with me.” _

_ Fuck it,  _ Hayun spat internally.  _ “Ray, I don’t think this place is good for you.” _

_ “That’s because I’m full of faults,”  _ he returned simply.  _ “I can’t take all the good things this place gives me.” _

_ “But I thought this place was for salvation? To help anyone hurting and downtrodden?”  _ she pretended to inquire.

_ “…” _

_ “You only seem more struck down and in even more pain. I can feel it from here.”  _ Hayun licked her lips. It was now or never.  _ “I think we should leave this place.” _

_ “No! I could never…Saviour would be so mad,”  _ he cried out with larger text.  _ “I couldn’t survive out there…but…could I…with you?” _

Hayun’s eyebrows shot up and she nearly lunged from her position on the bed. He was actually starting to think about it! And she hardly had to nudge him.

_ “We shouldn’t be talking about this. Let’s never talk about this again,”  _ he cut off. She wasn’t upset; it was certainly the largest leap in improvement they’d ever had.  _ “If we get caught…they’d make you take the elixir. I couldn’t…I can’t…” _

Ray was starting to panic, so she dexterously changed subjects.  _ “Ray, would you come visit me?” _

_ “Oh,”  _ he stated suddenly.  _ “I’m sorry. You must be tired of speaking through the messenger. I’ll make sure to see you, and then I’ll stay dead silent as I work.” _

That wasn’t exactly what Hayun had in mind, but she decided to drop it for now.

_ “You won’t be disturbed…I hope you have a good evening…” _

_ “Ah, you’re leaving already?” _

_ “I have to go. But I’ll see you soon, I promise. I hope you and your Pokémon are having fun in the garden now that you can go there without me.” _

He was gone before she could wish him a decent farewell, but she didn’t have to wait long. Her phone lit up with Ray’s caller ID, and she slid her thumb across the screen to receive him.

“Ray,” Hayun spoke softly, simply saying his name as the greeting. It was frank, but in an oddly intimate tone of voice.

“A-Ah, Hayun,” Ray returned, a bit flustered by it. He was quiet, as usual, but this time it had a fearful quality, like he was trying to avoid getting caught. “I have something to tell you. I heard Saviour talking about you just now.”

It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up on end.

“She said she has another project for you once the RFA are cleansed.”

_ That _ certainly didn’t help.

“Do you know what that is?” She didn’t actually care, considering there was no way she was working for a cult any longer than she needed to. Though the general curiosity was there, she was more concerned with what this woman wanted with her at all.

“Something glorious with Saviour herself, I’d imagine,” Ray returned, starting out excited and gradually becoming more melancholic as he ended the phrase. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear much about it. She said I shouldn’t distract you so we can both continue to focus on our work.”

“I’m sure that when the time comes, all will be revealed,” Hayun affirmed neutrally. When Ray didn’t respond for several seconds, she leaned the phone further into her face and straightened up. “You still there?”

He let out a tiny gasp, snapping back to attention. “Oh, I’m sorry, I—I just realized, once you get this new job, we probably won’t…be able to see each other anymore.” He turned his head away from his mic to cough. “I have to stay here, and you’ll be moving onto much bigger and better things. Things you deserve.”

“I don’t want it if I can’t ever see you again,” she resolved quickly, her expression turning hard at the prospect. It hurt that he thought she wouldn’t protest. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure it isn’t the last.”

“No! Don’t fight for me and my pathetic desires,” Ray resisted, voice growing just a bit louder in distress. “Please, I can’t have you risk all the wonderful things meant for you…and if you fight too much, Saviour might notice that you’ve not taken the elixir.”

“It’s not just your desires, Ray. I want to stay with you, too. You know that.”

“But it…doesn’t make any sense…” he hushed, tone a bit strained in his confused train thought. “I feel upset at the idea of us being separated even though I know you deserve to never see my horrible ugly self again…but what you say, it’s so sweet. You really mean what you say.”

“Yes, I mean it,” Hayun asserted. “Let’s just take one day at a time. Everything will work out in the end.” She wasn’t sure who she was reassuring, Ray or herself.

“I shouldn’t even be sharing these thoughts with you…I shouldn’t even be thinking for myself. You must find me so annoying, and Saviour told me I’d just make all the wrong choices and that I’m so weak I shouldn’t be responsible for myself…”

“She’s wrong!” Hayun snapped, unable to control the gut reaction. Her stomach felt like an empty pit at those poisonous lies, and her nails nearly broke the skin of her idle hand as she clenched into a white-knuckled fist. Artemis padded up and gently head-butted that hand, and reality broke over the ex-trainer once again. “S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell, I just—I know that she’s wrong about you. Only by giving yourself control and responsibility over yourself could you ever be strong. You’d be your own person, and I know that person would be amazing. You’re amazing already.”

Ray hesitated. “N-No…I can’t be strong…I’ve never been able to be strong, I wasn’t made for this world…”

Hayun squeezed her eyes shut and wiggled her legs in frustration, keeping silent so he wouldn’t mistake himself as the cause. “I really, really hope that someday, you can see that you are. You will be even stronger.” She licked her lips carefully. “Strength is kind of a funny thing, did you know that? It’s not physical, emotional, or even mental. Not necessarily. I learned a long time ago that it’s more about knowing yourself. Loving who you are, but knowing that you’re no different than anyone else, really.”

“I’m sure it was that way for you, but I’m not like that. I’m not lovable the way you are,” Ray rebutted, though not antagonistically. “I should just leave everything to Saviour. She’ll know what to do, but…I don’t want to leave you. That’s the only thing…” He sipped in a breath. “Ah, I shouldn’t be greedy, though. Sorry about that.”

“You can be greedy,” Hayun replied, face running a little warm. “I can be greedy, too.”

“Ha, I think my heart just skipped a beat, there,” Ray sighed, only exacerbating her blush further. “I feel so…warm, talking to you. Reassured. Thank you for that.”

“Likewise,” Hayun hummed, happy to take their dialogue to a much more positive place. This, when he wasn’t just parroting the words fed to him, was when he was truly himself. Her shoulders relaxed again. “Do you remember when I first came here? I told you your voice was really nice. I stand by that.”

“Really, still? Thank you…” he trailed off, sounding wistful. She smirked. “Someone’s coming. I’ll come see you, I promise. Wait for me.”

“Always,” she returned in a pleased tone, internally thrilled by the prospect.

They hung up, and Hayun groaned aloud as she rubbed her fingers into her scalp again. She really regretted showing Ray how cross she was at all this ‘Saviour’ nonsense. Did he think it was his fault…? A wave of self-hatred flowed over her mind, but she beat it back. There were very few mistakes she could make here. True, her outburst was out of her affection and protective instinct towards him, but he probably didn’t completely understand it.

_ It’s wearing me down, _ she realized. Not him, specifically, but this idea he had of her. Constantly being considered better than he was, deserving of praise while he flogged himself verbally over and over. He’d repeat all that rhetoric and twisted logic and lies, and then compare her to a precious star. It was  _ exhausting _ . Only when they joked a bit, loosened up, changed the subject—when Ray was  _ himself, _ the spell broke.

It was almost like he was a different person altogether. The person she saw when they first met. The person she kept catching glimpses of and stayed steadfast in hopes for more. That was  _ him. _

Not long after she’d hung up the call with Ray, Zen and Yoosung returned to the chat. It seemed that the younger man would be helping his actor friend by crashing at his place for the time being. At first, Yoosung wasn’t interested, but Hayun thought it was a good idea, especially with how isolated he seemed. It would be good for their Pokémon, too, she pressed into him. Zen’s Kirlia would finally have some creature company and the two humans could look after each other. Zen was most grateful for her encouragement. 

While watching the chat log carry on for a while, Hayun perused the closet casually, not really sure where her inquiry was going. There were several respectful outfits dangling from ribbon-wrapped hangers, most of them on the feminine side and of varying fits and sizes. Her eye caught on a simply cut black dress with an A-line skirt that would go down to her knees. The solid satin stopped at a sweetheart neckline, but the sleeves and collar were black lace, all the way up to the neck. She’d never had anything like this at home, often not having a good reason to wear fancy or formal wear of any kind. It was difficult to admit, but she really just wanted to wear it.  _ For fun, _ was the first explanation she conjured, but then the idea of impressing or interesting Ray made her cheeks flare up in red.

A trip to the bathroom with the dress and a pair of black stockings sated her curiosity. After some degree of slightly embarrassing struggle to get into the thing, she found it fit her quite well. Not exactly like a glove, but enough to make her stop in front of the mirror. Hayun sifted a hand through her thick dark curls and realigned a few bouncing locks about the frame of her face, and then took a picture for good measure. The black lace sleeves filled by her smooth skin looked rather smart, and she was fond of how it covered halfway up her neck. It even had little thumb holes to hold the sleeve ends in place.

When Hayun was sufficiently gorged on a rare stint of self-admiration, she paced back into the bedroom to find Artemis and Apollo at the door once again. On instinct, her skin prickled at the thought of Saviour returned to speak further, but none of her companions looked on edge. In fact, both Vulpixes were tapping their front paws impatiently and letting out little whines of attention. 

“Who’s there?” Hayun called through the barrier as she padded up to the doorknob. Her suspicions only made her nerves alight with excitement. Whoever was on the other side didn’t reply, but she cracked open the door anyway. 

Ray was standing up straighter than she’d ever seen him, but in this case, in alarm. His hands were held up somewhat awkwardly in a defensive surrendering gesture, while his blue-mint eyes were as wide as saucers. His mouth was barely open, dry lips sticking together a bit. Fern, his ever loyal and sweet Eevee, was perched right up on one of his rather wound-up shoulders, tail swishing back and forth as she watched the odd scene unfold.

Hayun blinked up at him from just a few inches below, holding the door ajar just enough to poke her head through. 

Finally, Ray spoke. “I wasn’t hiding, honest!” he cried out, wincing at his own voice. His expression turned rather sheepish, and he wrung one wrist in the other hand. “Well, I guess I was, but—I didn’t mean anything bad!”

It took every inch of Hayun’s willpower not to burst out laughing. She managed to make it through with a hardly controlled grin splayed right over her face, and ridiculous as she felt, she pulled the door open wider to welcome him. “C’mon in, Ray. I’m very happy to see you.” Artemis and Apollo both let out high-pitched fox-barks, making her finally release some roiling joy with a restrained giggle. “And of course, the twins missed Fern. No one else with you?”

Ray offered a tiny, depressed smile, entering as she stepped back away from the doorway. “No, I didn’t want to disturb them…Fern was the only one awake at the time.” 

As Hayun padded up to the middle of the room close to the table and chairs, she beamed at how her Vulpixes immediately attached themselves to Fern and began catching up in their own manner. She turned to face Ray again, only to find him rather pointedly staring at her and looking only more flustered by the second. Hayun tilted her head and threaded her fingers together absently. 

“See something you like?”

Ray jumped at her voice and turned his head to avoid her gaze. It seemed he couldn’t decide between covering his mouth with his gloved hand or continuing to wring his wrists nervously. “No—I-I mean, y-yes, I—” He stopped just to swallow, but still wouldn’t look at her. Hayun imitated the action, finding herself growing warm again. “I didn’t think you’d—well, you brought your own clothes, so—”

“I did, but,” she started, not really sure how to explain it, “I guess I just wanted to wear something nice. All my clothes are very practical for work, or training, or just being comfortable. It’s a nice change of pace. Is that…okay?”

Ray managed to give her a glance but couldn’t hold it for long, his cheeks bright pink. “V-Very okay.”

Hayun let out an affirming breath, shifting her weight just a bit. She’d never really thought very hard about her appearance. There was certainly no way anyone would consider her a universal beauty, but she did like certain aspects of her body. She had a fit figure from the work that she did, which made her feel strong and healthy. Her legs were long, despite her perfectly average height, and though she never had very full lips or a large chest or a pretty nose, her neck was slender, and her eyes were a big, shiny brown. And of course, she had the very dark brown hair that spiraled out in ringlets and waves down to her chin, a trait shared with her late mother. 

Even so, it was particularly odd to see Ray so obviously distracted and muddled by her, and it was so terribly wonderful to feel so admired.

Yurim strode up to Ray confidently and slowly, sniffing in large breaths and nudging the young man’s shoulder with his snout. Ray looked a little put out and confused but was put at ease by Hayun's soft chuckle.

“He’s happy to see you,” she told him while drawing closer to the two of them. Pulling apart Ray’s hands from one another, she guided one up to the deer-like Pokémon’s nose bridge. “Stroke here…and then put your other hand along his jaw, just like that…”

The large Grass-type hummed low, closing his eyes with a contented look as Ray very anxiously slid his fingers down the short, velvety fur.

“He trusts you a lot,” Hayun observed aloud, her smile gentle as she stayed right by his side and watched. 

Ray still didn’t look at her, but he did notably release the tension in his body. “I shouldn’t really be here,” he said softly into the warmly lit room, white lashes heavy on his careful eyes. “I know you don’t really want to see me, and I tried to stay away as best I could—”

“I said I wanted to see you,” she hushed, rubbing Yurim’s ears just the way he liked. She gave Ray a striking sidelong look while keeping her head turned to her friend. “You didn’t believe me?”

At last, their eyes locked as his aqua-blue irises slid towards her like a magnet. His solemn expression didn’t change as he took in a small breath through his nose and removed his hands from Yurim to pace over to the table. “I just came to give you this,” he informed, slipping his hand into the inner breast pocket of his cranberry-red suit jacket to pull out a small heart-shaped clear bottle with a cork. She admired his slender figure for a moment, finding the action rather attractive, for some reason.

In the bottle was around half a glass of some blue-green liquid, almost the exact same colour as his eyes. Hayun’s brows lowered for a moment as she considered it. Was this how they were no longer honey-amber, like Luciel’s?

“This substance smells, tastes, and looks identical to the real elixir,” Ray relayed, placing his right hand over his heart like he usually did. “If someone tries to force you to take it, just drink this instead.”

Yurim watched over Hayun’s shoulder as she fully pivoted to regard Ray. “Thank you,” she spoke tenderly, trying her best to give a grateful smile despite the dampening circumstances. “You’ve worked so hard to protect me.”

“It’s nothing,” he dismissed, avoiding her direct attention again. “Um…please don’t tell Saviour I was here—or do it if you want. I don’t want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I’ll take all your suffering onto me, don’t worry about that…” His voice seemed to get farther and farther away as he trailed off, until he uttered one last, “No matter what,” in such quiet that Hayun hardly caught it.

Her expression slackened when she saw his eyes water and bottom lip quiver. “Oh,” she whispered in surprise, stepping right up to him with her hands ready to grasp his.

Ray made a noise of disgust at the back of his throat, designed for himself, but he didn’t resist her touch. He just stood there idly as Hayun pressed their palms together, then let out a resistant sob. He really didn’t want to cry again, but the tears were already collecting and wetting his eyelashes. 

“Ray,” Hayun murmured tenderly, now letting go of one of his hands to brush aside his overgrown bangs a bit with her fingertips. He was reddening, but this time from the distress and embarrassment of crying in front of her yet again. It made her heart ache to see how he purposefully kept his gaze away from hers, tears now spilling over as his bit his lip. She cupped his jaw, leaning her temple against his shoulder.

“I-I’m s-sorry,” Ray stuttered out in anguish. “It’s just so great to see…no, never mind. Please, just—” he gently clasped his fingers around her wrists to pull and push them apart—“I can’t—Forget this ever happened, please. Have a good night.”

He dashed out the door in a fevered rush, Fern sprinting out after him with a loud whine of protest.

“Ray!” Hayun shouted, her voice breaking in bewilderment and shock, but her cry fell on deaf ears. She rubbed her sides and wrung her neck to keep calm, unsure what to do. Pacing always seemed to help, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Apollo was the first to approach, nuzzling his head and ears into her ankles for encouragement, and Artemis joined in with a soothing coo. 

Hayun sighed, long and loud, but smiled at her closest friends all the same. Everything with Ray was naturally a rollercoaster, she’d come to accept that.

“I swear I’ll have some gray hair by the time this is all sorted,” she mused, attempting some good spirits. Siren understood her jest, letting out a laugh-like titter from her floor bed in response.

She considered not picking up when Yoosung called, but that’d probably only put her in a sadder mood. He was on his way to Zen’s place, rambling about this and that as he power-walked over to the actor’s apartment. It was quite cute, in all honesty, and she got a real sense of how sharp he was for someone so young. Granted, not  _ that _ much younger than her, but practically a baby. 

Hayun knew she wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon. There was too much going on, her brain was far too stimulated and flipping swiftly between worry and forcing herself to be calm. Reading worked for a little while, but she grew restless with inaction. Yurim started to glare, since he was trying to get a bit of sleep while standing up, but time passed unexpectedly quickly as she just paced and let her mind wander. 

At last, Jaehee and Seven made contact with the messenger. Hayun expected it to be a rather fortuitous turn of events, delighted by the chance to interact with her new friends, but seeing Luciel only reminded her of how hard Ray must’ve been working. For now, they seemed to be at a stalemate, but it still irked her how Saviour was treating Ray like a slave and Hayun had to hold all the threads together for the sake of whatever else V had going on. 

Luciel, for his part, was more gracious even in these times. He was exasperated and definitely exhausted, but he didn’t want things to end in ruthless bloodshed. He’d sensed Hayun’s compassion for the hacker’s situation, which was actually her veiled attempts to encourage Ray if he was watching her activity on the messenger. Luciel was a bit bewildered by her reaction, but he’d concluded that there was more to this than met the eye, anyway. She had to admit, he was eerily sharp…or maybe, he could just  _ feel _ that this ‘mysterious’ hacker wasn’t truly his enemy. There was something else, something manipulating both Ray and Hayun.

Hayun straightened up and approached her window, arms crossed in deep thought. “I need some of Seven’s brain cells right now,” she muttered aloud, mostly talking to herself. Then again, her Pokémon could hear and understand her just fine. “If Seven is taking a break, then Ray is taking a break. And if Ray is taking a break, the only place he’d be in other than the information room is the garden.” She spun on her heel and strapped on her thin black utility belt. “Not like we were going to sleep well, anyway.”

Yurim gave her a one-eyed look that seemed to say,  _ speak for yourself, _ but soon both he and Siren were tucked comfortably into their Pokéballs. Pausing to snatch her ID card and prompt the twins to follow, she latched the door open and stepped out into the hallway, only to halt in her tracks at the sight of a believer.

“Please, miss, step aside. The Saviour is coming through,” he announced quietly, making her skin break out into gooseflesh and her blood run hot. Artemis and Apollo fluffed their fur slightly in defense, but Hayun shook her head at them, pressing her back against the door after it clicked closed.

Saviour’s distinct, sharp heeled clacks echoed down the way on Hayun’s right, but the ex-trainer forced her heart to steady as best she could. The cult leader’s long golden hair flowed out behind her as she neared, and her misted green eyes snapped up from behind her black butterfly mask to lock onto Hayun.

The woman slowed to a stop, considering the precious ‘tester’ fully. “No…it’s alright, Believer. She’s fine.” She gave a sharp nod, and he departed without another word, disappearing down the hall. Hayun swallowed, but she kept a respectful, neutral face on. “For paradise, Hayun,” Saviour greeted with some quality of fondness. “It’s such a beautiful night. Are you and your Pokémon having trouble sleeping?”

The younger woman clenched her jaw for just a second before responding. “For paradise, Saviour. I find I have much on my mind, and my Pokémon have a love for the garden.” She placed her hands behind her back and folded them together politely. “Do you know where Ray is?”

“Ray?” Saviour said with a glimpse of surprise. “If he’s following the plan, he’ll be working. I should send someone to check.” Her eyes fell on Artemis, making the Ice-type fox scratch her paw into the floor tile anxiously. It didn’t last long, as Hayun found herself under the leader’s soft stare yet again. “Won’t you join me? It would be good for you to meet some of the other believers.”

Hayun opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

“No, wait,” Saviour retracted, raising a delicate hand in a paused gesture. “You’re on a special mission. No, remain just as mysterious as you are for now, Hayun. Don’t worry, as soon as you achieve great things in your duty, I’ll grant you an executive position on the spot.”

The ex-trainer was really starting to dislike her name coming from this woman’s sickeningly saccharine and breathy voice. “You are most generous, Saviour.”

The cult leader hummed with a pleased smile at the praise. “It’s what you deserve, precious Hayun. I’m only glad that Ray has returned to  _ his place. _ ” Hayun bit the inside of her cheek to stifle her rage. “He’s never met someone so attractive like you from the outside, you see. He got a little side-tracked. I’ll make sure there’s no problem with Ray. I’ll keep my eyes on him.”

_ Keep your filthy eyes to yourself, _ Hayun spat back in her mind, only now wishing desperately for the day that she could absolutely rip this woman to shreds.

“I hope…that you would do your best for our paradise, Hayun,” Saviour crooned, sounding almost meek and pleading. It made sense that she thought this place was so very important, but the reality was that she was destroying everything she came in contact with, Hayun decided. The blonde turned away, pointing herself down the hall in the direction she was headed to begin with. She gave Hayun a little glance, then, “Now I must go. For eternal paradise.”

“For eternal paradise,” Hayun bit out, doing her best to sound composed as she lowered her head to keep the fury in her eyes from being caught. Perhaps to Saviour, it simply seemed like an effort of reverence.

Once Hayun was sure that the woman was completely out of ear- and eyeshot, she rushed towards the elevator with her sibling Vulpixes hot on her heels. Within minutes, she was in the garden, breathing in the fresh, gently scented air with abandon. From all accounts, she was completely on her own with her four companions. Yurim decided to stay very close by, walking by her as she aimlessly wandered about and muttered sweet things to him. She supposed he was rather protective, having witnessed her unexpectedly ambushed twice there. 

As she crouched down to admire a patch of fiddlehead-ferns under a thicket of purple lilac trees, Yurim rose his head tall, ears alert and forward. Before she could inquire, gentle shoe steps in the grass made her spin her head to watch through the nest of thin lilac trunks. Tan pants and oxfords paced through at the other side.

“Ray?” Hayun called out.

He gasped and stepped back as she stood. “Hayun, so you were here…”

She rounded the patch with Yurim just behind, her grin broad and beaming at the sight of her beloved. “I thought you might be here.” She hesitated as he stepped back, holding his arm at the elbow with a dejected posture.

“You probably don’t want to see me. I’ll go back to—”

“Nonsense,” Hayun snorted quickly, reaching out to hold both his hands in hers again. “Look around, Ray. We’re in the garden, just us. I want you to stay.”

Ray watched her face carefully, appearing to pick it apart with great thought. “I can stay…? You won’t hate me?” he asked innocently, a brokenness to his tone that she simply couldn’t handle.  _ What did that lady say to him?  _ she wondered in distress. They were doing so much better lately, and now he was nearly back at square one.

“Why do you think I would hate you?”

“I thought…because I ran away like that. But,” his gaze bounced between both of her mellow brown irises for a quiet moment, “your eyes seem to tell me that you don’t.”

She breathed a laugh and nodded. “You’d be right. I was worried about you, and a little confused, but no. I don’t hate you.”

For a brief moment, a look of pure bliss flickered across his expression, his lips turning up in a little smile and his features softening. It completely captured her mind. “I thought so…” Suddenly it changed again, eyebrows knitting together as his stare faltered. “Oh, uh…I’m not supposed to tell you what I think…Not you, not anyone! Oh, I—I slipped up again, I—” Ray’s voice failed with a tiny croak as his eyes filled with tears again.

It tore Hayun’s core to ribbons. She’d never been one to cry much, usually keeping her composure with others at all times in that regard, but watching him like that plucked at every one of her heartstrings. Every sob and shake that made him tremble only added more water to her eyes, but she held on and braved the storm, looking up at him intently as he sorted out his words.

“No, don’t, I don’t deserve—” Ray ripped away, and for a moment she was afraid that he’d run off again. He ran his hand through his bangs roughly in frustration and wiped away the tears frantically. “Stop crying, stop crying, stop crying…” Hayun could only stare, watching it unfold at, now, a distance of a few feet. Yurim moved to her side, forever the guardian, but she could tell that he felt as much compassion for the confused young man as she did. “I can’t—I shouldn’t—you’re so, and I’m—I’m such an airhead—"

“Ray, please listen to me,” came her tight, rapid words. She braced an arm on Yurim’s back, rooting herself in place as she spoke. “Even if you doubt yourself, even if you lose sight of the truth, I’ll be there.” She wasn’t even sure where such a speech was coming from, or whether she could truly promise such a thing. “You should have love, Ray. You should have it from yourself, most of all, but even when you’re shaken, even when you stumble or change, you’ll have me. Alright?”

At first, silence. For a tick, she thought perhaps he’d shut down as he stared openly, expression owlish. “Hayun…y-you can’t say these things to me. I-I-I don’t d-deserve it…” He wasn’t crying anymore, but he was certainly choked up at her profession.

“There’s no ‘deserve’ in this equation,” she soothed, consciously trying to lower her vocal intensity. It wouldn’t do him any good to get all wound up. “There’s only us. Just being who we are. Changing, growing, like two plants in a symbiotic relationship. Fine on their own, but stronger together.” She approached him as carefully as she could manage, lifted his hand in hers, and pressed their palms together. His fingers were quite a bit longer than hers, but she could feel the warmth of him through the bare skin of the heel of his hand.

Large clear tears began to pool in his eyes, only trickling down as he blinked at their simple contact. “I keep thinking about you…Sh-Sharing my thoughts and everything I’m—I’m having a h-hard time with. No matter how much elixir I take, I can’t s-stop thinking about you. I have to keep working, n-never stopping, so I c-can be useful, but…” He swallowed hard, sniffing back a bad sob as his liquid-blue eyes fell on hers. “The way you look at me—” he whispered, voice in tatters. “It  _ hurts. _ ”

Hayun laced their fingers together, pulling gently on his arm to draw them closer. Her brows tilted up acutely and her eyes prickled, threatening tears of her own. “It hurts? I’m hurting you?”

“No! No,” he cried, opening his other hand to cup the side of her face and lift it even closer to his. He was so close that his fluffy white bangs hung over to touch her forehead. “I’m hurting myself…because I’m so weak and useless, I know I can never deserve you…not the way I want.”

“You’re free to go after what you want, Ray,” Hayun muttered lowly, letting go of his hand to mirror him, holding his jaw on the opposite side. Their noses brushed briefly as she pierced him with her gaze. “Look at me. I’m right here. Truth, understanding—it’s waiting for you.”

“You shouldn’t even bear my whining. You can just walk away…” Oddly, he didn’t release her to do so. “Just don’t go too far. Don’t leave me completely.”

“If I’m going to be here, it’ll be right by your side,” she reiterated stubbornly, managing a little grin that squinted her eyes a bit. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Yes, stay…I’ll be whatever you want, even your punching bag.” She could hardly hear him now, but she’d heard enough.

“I’ll be here, Ray. I’ll love you, no conditions. Whether you choose to accept it or not is your choice,” Hayun told him, straightening her neck and coaxing him down to lean his forehead into hers.

Ray’s tears fell off his chin and disappeared between them. “Y-You…love me?”

She beamed again, this time nudging her nose with his on purpose. “As much as one can in a week,” she confessed somewhat humorously, gently pulling his wrist away from her face and planting that hand on her waist. The other naturally migrated to join it as her fingers slid up his neck and combed into the hair at the back of his head. 

“Why?”

“ _Why?_ ” she reflected, puzzled at the question. “I just do.”

“But I—”

Hayun hushed him with a finger to his lips. For a moment, they just stood there, pressed up against each other with his arms wrapped around her middle. She carefully ran the tip of her thumb along his top lip and stroked his cheek, just as utterly transfixed as he was. His tears had mostly dried, and he was  _ so _ beautiful. 

“I’ll stop you from saying those sorts of things about yourself,” she informed him, almost inaudible.

Ray’s breath caught, large eyes drinking in her every feature and form. “How?” It was almost like he was daring her to, taunting her to show him.

So, she did. Hayun pushed up onto her toes and held his jaw in place, their lips meeting with soft and surprised breaths. They were just as delicate as they looked, she discovered, as she pressed her mouth into his with fervor. He didn’t move, not knowing what to do with himself, but as soon as she pulled back to give them a chance for air and changed angles, Ray tilted in to match her. Hayun hummed in delight at his reciprocation, her nerves blazing from the top of her head straight down her spine. Her ears burned and her heart was much too loud, but she didn’t care one whit.

Reluctantly, Hayun detached herself from him to gage the reaction, though he still clung around her waist, and she around his neck. Ray’s face was completely pink, and his eyes blinked open wide. He let out a tiny, hiccupped gasp of bewilderment, and she just grinned fully at him. The joy of that moment absolutely sang in her soul. 

“W-What was that?” he asked in a flustered huff. “Was that to—to punish me?”

Her smile faded, but she resolved to maintain it a little for him. “No, Ray. It was a kiss. An expression of love. Nothing more.”

“Why would you give me—”

“Because I wanted to,” she returned. “It’s mine to give. Did you…did you not like it?” She was horrified at the prospect that she’d done such a thing against his consent.  _ Stupid Tauros in a china shop, _ she cut internally. “I should’ve asked, I—”

“I feel…weird. Hot, and dizzy, and—”

If her face could get any redder, it would have. “It’s supposed to—”

Suddenly, he ripped away, panic splashed across his features. “I need cold—I need to go.” He disappeared behind a rose bush along the path towards the building before she could protest, leaving her all alone. 

That is, until Yurim strode up again after giving them space, humming low to her in comfort. Hayun stared at the last spot Ray was, completely flabbergasted. Was that not what she was supposed to do? Had she ruined everything by moving too fast? He was always so sweet, making his affection for her plain, but words were very different from actions. And all this time, she wanted to prioritize his comfort, his choices, his freedom. 

“I’m so  _ fucking _ stupid,” she croaked, balling her hands up against her eyes as she began to weep. She beat her fists against her head, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to help alleviate the frustration boiling over in her heart. “I’m so sorry, Ray.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't have happiness without a little angst.


End file.
